March 2, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Image Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the court after missing 15 games with a right calf injury, but his Milwaukee Bucks fell 108-81 to the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night.
Payton Pritchard had a team-high 25 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who got career-highs of 18 points and 16 rebounds from rookie Hugo Gonzalez. Derrick White added 18 points and nine assists for Boston, which hit 20 of 50 3-point attempts.
The Celtics played without leading scorer Jaylen Brown (illness) and starting center Nemias Cueta (rest). Brown averages 29.0 points per game, while Cueta had 27 points and 17 rebounds in the Celtics’ Sunday win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Antetokounmpo, playing for the first time since January 23, set team records with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He entered the game this season averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.
Nuggets 128, Jazz 125
Jamal Murray had 45 points and eight assists in Denver’s win over host Utah.
Murray was 8-for-13 from 3-point range, helping Denver record its second straight loss. Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Nuggets, and Julian Strother had 15 points. Denver shot 54.1% from the field and made 16 of 39 3-point attempts (41%).
Keyonte George led Utah with 36 points and four steals, while Kyle Filiposki had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ace Bailey added 18 points and Svi Mykhailiuk added 15 points.
Rocket 123, Wizard 118
Alperen Sengun had 32 points, Kevin Durant had 30 and visiting Houston demolished Washington.
Houston never fell behind after the second quarter in a game that turned combative in the second half. Bilal Koulibaly led the Wizards with a season-high 23 points and five 3-pointers, and the Wizards have now lost five in a row. Sharif Cooper scored 21 goals off the bench for Washington in 17 minutes.
Amen Thompson had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Houston and Reed Shepherd added 19 points to go with 10 assists. Houston beat Washington 59-27, with Sengun scoring a game-high 13 points and 62 points compared to the Wizards’ 40.
Clippers 114, Warriors 101
Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 23 points in 29 minutes, five teammates chipped in with double-digit scoring and Los Angeles overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Golden State in San Francisco.
Darius Garland, coming off the bench in his Clippers debut, scored 12 points. Bennedict Mathurin added 17 points and Kris Dunn had 16 as Los Angeles won for the second straight night.
Brandin Podziemski paced Golden State with 22 points, including 20 in the first half. The Warriors, who have lost five of their last seven games, were without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Kristaps Porzingis, Gary Payton II and Will Richards.
–Field level media
