DONTE DIVINCENZO

Trae Young scored 30 points and the struggling Atlanta Hawks rallied for a 121-114 victory over thee Milwaukee Bucks to snap a 10-game home losing streak.

DiVincenzo finally returned for a Christmas Day victory over the Boston Celtics and is ready to do whatever he can to help the Bucks in their title defense. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard started all 66 regular-season games he played last year and averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 37.9% from 3-point range. DiVincenzo tore a ligament in his left ankle in Game 3 of a first-round series with the Miami Heat. DiVincenzo acknowledged that it wasn’t easy having to deal with an injury while the Bucks made their championship run. He credited Bucks guard George Hill and former teammates Eric Bledsoe and Jeff Teague for helping him through the lengthy recovery.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo had a Christmas return on his mind as he made his comeback from an ankle injury that kept him from joining his teammates for much of their championship run last season.

Celtics Bucks Basketball Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021, in Milwaukee. Milwaukee also got center Bobby Portis and guard Donte DiVincenzo back from COVID-19 protocols in time for the televised Christmas showdown. Jayson Tatum also scored 25 for Boston, which led by as many as 19 and went into halftime with a 35-22 advantage. Portis’ put-back with 8 minutes left was the start of the Bucks' charge, tying the game at 111 when Antetokounmpo scored and drew a foul with 1:26 left. The Bucks are 5-3 all-time on Christmas Day, including a 3-0 mark in Milwaukee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from the NBA’s healthy and safety protocols to score 36 points on Saturday for Milwaukee.

The NBA has called off five games for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday because of coronavirus-related concerns.

Cavaliers Bucks Basketball Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley loses the ball in front of Milwaukee Bucks' Jrue Holiday during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash)MILWAUKEE — (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo came back from a two-game absence and scored 27 points on his 27th birthday to help the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-104 on Monday night. The two-time MVP also had 12 rebounds in his return from a sore right calf as the Bucks won for the 10th time in 11 games. Pat Connaughton scored 12, and Bobby Portis had 10 points and 16 rebounds. Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo was briefly assigned to the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ NBA G League affiliate, to get some practice sessions as he works his way back from a torn left ankle ligament.

Giannis Antetokounmpo came back from a two-game absence and scored 27 points on his 27th birthday to help the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-104.

Lakers Bucks Basketball Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash)MILWAUKEE — (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 47 points and Khris Middleton tied Milwaukee’s franchise record for career 3-pointers as the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 109-102 on Wednesday night. This marked just the third game this season in which the Bucks had their three top players – Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue Holiday – all available. "Lakers fans and really sports fans in general I guess would know that building as Staples Center. Bucks: This victory started a five-game home stand for the Bucks after they returned from a five-game road trip.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 47 points and Khris Middleton tied Milwaukee’s franchise record for career 3-pointers in the Bucks’ 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Dennis Schröder scored eight of his season-high 38 points in overtime and the Boston Celtics took advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 122-113.

Spurs Bucks Basketball Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks to pass against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (Jeffrey Phelps)MILWAUKEE — (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t been quite themselves as they’ve opened their NBA title defense. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in each of the Bucks' first seven games, but many of his usual running mates have been missing. The Bucks brought back George Hill, who last played for Milwaukee from 2018-20. Everyone’s going to try and give us their best shot.”___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t been quite themselves as they’ve opened their NBA title defense.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and the Milwaukee Bucks opened the defense of their first title in half a century by beating the Brooklyn Nets 127-104 on Tuesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks overhauled their roster during the offseason to put more star power around two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

There's more than a berth in the NBA Finals for the winner of the improbable matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks-Atlanta Hawks.

The Brooklyn Nets will continue to play without Kyrie Irving and don’t know exactly what they can expect from James Harden as the star players deal with injuries.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (David Zalubowski)Four NHL teams have overcome 3-0 deficits in a best-of-seven playoff series, including the 1942 Stanley Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs. The Denver Nuggets are the 143rd NBA team to go down 3-0 in a best-of-seven playoff series and nobody's ever overcome such a daunting deficit to win four straight. The Nuggets say their only aim is to send the series back to Phoenix with a win in Game 4 Sunday night in Denver. “We just need to go out there and fight and give everything we’ve got for Game 4,” Jokic said. The Bucks scored a league-high 120.1 points a game in the regular season but have averaged just 93 points in this series.

The Denver Nuggets face a daunting 3-0 deficit in their second-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns.

Jrue Holiday made a go-ahead driving layup with 11.4 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Brooklyn Nets 86-83 in Game 3 after two blowout losses in New York.

Turns out, there was a reason the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t worried about a playoff rematch with the Miami Heat in Round 1 this year.

Bucks Heat Basketball Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo drives to the basket over Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, May 27, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) (Marta Lavandier)MIAMI — (AP) — Donte DiVincenzo’s season is over, after tests showed Friday that the Milwaukee guard tore a ligament in his left ankle during Game 3 of the Bucks’ playoff series against the Miami Heat. DiVincenzo had appeared in 69 games for Milwaukee this season, all of them starts including the three playoff matchups. On an individual, personal level for Donte, it’s really, really tough,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Friday. The lineup of DiVincenzo along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez was 34-14 this season.

Milwaukee guard Donte DiVincenzo’s season is over.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points and the Milwaukee Bucks used a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Brooklyn Nets for the second time in three days, winning 124-118.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 49 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks edged Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets 117-114.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and moved into second place on the Milwaukee Bucks’ career scoring list in a 132-94 romp over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Kelly Oubre Jr. converted a pair of free throws with 7.7 seconds left to give Golden State the lead and Milwaukee missed at the end as the Warriors held off the Bucks 122-121.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks against Los Angeles Lakers center Andre Drummond (2) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 31, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – Andre Drummond left his Lakers debut with a bruised right toe, and Jrue Holiday scored 28 points in the Milwaukee Bucks' 112-97 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday night. ANTETOKOUNMPO BROTHERSGiannis Antetokounmpo and his two brothers shared the court for 52 seconds late in the fourth quarter. Thanasis Antetokounmpo is Giannis' teammate with the Bucks, while Kostas Antetokounmpo is a Lakers reserve. How can you do that to your little brother?”The Antetokounmpos became the second trio of brothers to play at the same time in an NBA game.

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo , left, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)PHILADELPHIA – Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10 of his 32 points in overtime to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. Tobias Harris scored 19 points and Danny Green added 18 for Philadelphia, which had its six-game winning streak snapped. After being hounded by Simmons for most of the game, Antetokounmpo found his offense in the extra session with Simmons in foul trouble. He scored 10 straight Bucks points, the last a 10-foot jumper in the lane that pushed Milwaukee's lead to 105-98 with 1:11 left in overtime.

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks showed they can still rally in the fourth quarter to win games with their defense. Antetokounmpo scored 36 points and sparked a game-closing 9-0 run as the Bucks rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-100 on Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory. The Bucks generally haven’t performed quite as well on defense this season but stifled the Clippers down the stretch. Bucks: Antetokounmpo has scored at least 35 points in four straight games, making him the first Bucks player to accomplish that feat since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from Jan. 6-14, 1973.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, bottom, and Miami Heat forward Precious Achiuwa go for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)MIAMI – The Miami Heat engineered a 58-point turnaround against the Milwaukee Bucks in 24 hours. Milwaukee’s lead was 72-58 early in the second half, 84-73 with 3:44 left in the third. Milwaukee had 21 points after four minutes Tuesday; the Bucks were held to four in the first four minutes Wednesday. Miami finished 2020 at 36-29 (22-22 regular season, 14-7 playoffs).

The trade fizzled as the NBA announced it was investigating whether the move had been agreed upon earlier than league rules allow. Bogdanovic, a restricted free agent, ended up signing with Atlanta when Sacramento chose to not match the Hawks’ four-year, $72 million offer sheet. Ilyasova was waived, but DiVincenzo and Wilson remain with the Bucks. NBA officials said they took into account several factors in the decision: the Bucks’ cooperation with the investigation; the Bucks ultimately not signing Bogdanovic; and the lack of evidence of an impermissible early agreement on contract terms. "We were fully cooperative with the league and we look forward to our season beginning on Wednesday,” the Bucks said Monday in a statement.

The Pelicans are getting Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and a package of future first-round draft picks from the Bucks, the person told The Associated Press. The Pelicans are getting Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and a package of future first-round draft picks from the Bucks, the person told The Associated Press. The trade of Holiday was the second blockbuster involving a point guard since the league allowed transactions to begin again Monday. Holiday is due to earn $25.4 million this season and holds a $26.3 million player option for next season. And it’s now almost certain that the Bucks will have to fill out their roster for this season with several minimum-salary players, since they’ll owe about $86 million to just Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday this season.

Butler and Goran Dragic each scored 17 points for the Heat, who won the series 4-1 and will face either Boston or Toronto when the NBAs final four gets underway next week. It's Miami's first time in the East finals since 2014, and the first time Butler has gotten to the NBA's final four. Jae Crowder scored 16, Tyler Herro scored 14, Bam Adebayo had 13 and Kelly Olynyk had 12 apiece for the Heat. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17, Wesley Matthews and Marvin Williams each had 11 and Eric Bledsoe had nine assists for the Bucks. UP NEXTHeat: Game 1 of the East finals vs. Toronto or Boston, TBD.

Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton (22) goes down during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Having the NBA's best record during the regular season shows the obvious potential of the Milwaukee Bucks. They are now, facing a pivotal Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the rolling Miami Heat on Friday night. We're not focused on anything after Game 3," Bucks center Brook Lopez said. We're not looking back on anything from Game 2 or Game 1.

I felt like I took it up a level in the fourth quarter," Butler said. Bam Adebayo had 12 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for the fifth-seeded Heat, who are 3-1 overall against the top-seeded Bucks this season. Khris Middleton scored 28 points for Milwaukee, which also dropped Game 1 of its first-round series against Orlando. Kyle Korver added 11 for the Bucks, who scored 40 points on the way to an 11-point lead after the first quarter then managed 64 the rest of the way. Bucks: Milwaukee is now 20-32 in Game 1s.

8 team two straight times to advance to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for a second straight season. The Grizzlies were eighth in the West with a 3 -game lead over the rest of the pack when they arrived at Florida. TIP-INSBucks: Starting guard Wesley Matthews missed a second straight game with a sore right adductor. UP NEXTThe Bucks will face the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs.

Thats the only thing we can control, really.With the league playing the remainder of the regular season and the entire playoffs at Walt Disney World as a safety precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic, owning a No. But the Bucks and Lakers are virtually assured of having the top seeds in their respective conferences regardless. The Lakers will arrive at Disney World with a magic number of three in the race for the No. Like we always would if this were the regular season or if these were the last eight games of the regular season, we would compete to win, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. Typically, once James team is locked into a playoff seed, he shuts it down and begins preparing for the postseason.