"Recap of NBA Games: LaMelo Ball Drops 50 Points in Hornets' Defeat against Bucks"

The Milwaukee Bucks survived a career-high 50-point night from LaMelo Ball to defeat the visiting Charlotte Hornets 125-119 and extend their winning streak to four consecutive games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Milwaukee, while Damian Lillard contributed 31 points.

Ball, who also recorded 10 assists, started off slowly, shooting 1-of-8 from the field in the first quarter, before flourishing in the second half. He surpassed his previous career best of 38 points. Brandon Miller also had an impressive performance with 32 points and 11 rebounds.

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Miller and Ball combined for all 34 of Charlotte's points in the fourth quarter as the Hornets nearly erased a 20-point deficit.

Jazz 121, Knicks 106

Lauri Markkanen scored 34 points to help Utah break a four-game losing streak with a matinee victory over New York in Salt Lake City.

Markkanen made 11 of 15 field goals, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range, and grabbed nine rebounds. Collin Sexton added 25 points with six 3-pointers, while John Collins totaled 20 points and 13 rebounds.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 27 points, as they had previously won four consecutive games. Jalen Brunson also made a significant contribution with 23 points and eight assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for New York.

Grizzlies 142, Bulls 131

Scotty Pippen Jr. scored a career-high 30 points as Memphis dominated from start to finish in their win over host Chicago.

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Pippen also recorded 10 assists, while Jaylen Wells added a career-high 26 points for the Grizzlies, who secured their second consecutive victory. Jaren Jackson Jr. also had a strong performance with 23 points.

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 29 points, followed by Nikola Vucevic with 26. Matas Buzelis scored 14 points and Josh Giddey added 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Bulls, who have lost four of their last six games.

Magic 111, Pistons 100

A 15-0 run in the fourth quarter propelled Orlando to a win over visiting Detroit, marking their eighth victory in their last nine games.

Franz Wagner led the Magic with 30 points, making it the 11th time in 12 games that he has been their top scorer. He also reached 30 points for the fourth time in five games and added nine rebounds and eight assists.

Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 19 points as they tried to fill the void left by Cade Cunningham, who was sidelined due to an ankle injury. Malik Beasley also had a strong performance with 18 points, and Marcus Sasser finished with 13 points off the bench.

Trail Blazers 104, Rockets 98

Anfernee Simons hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 28.7 seconds remaining to secure a victory for Portland in the second game of a back-to-back set against host Houston.

Simons finished with a team-high 25 points to help Portland survive a wild fourth quarter that included six ties and four lead changes. He also answered a layup by Amen Thompson with one of his own to tie the score at 96-96 with 1:03 remaining.

Alperen Sengun scored 22 points, while Thompson added 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Rockets. However, the starting backcourt of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green struggled, shooting a combined 7 for 27, including 1 of 15 from behind the arc. Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason also had a tough night, totaling 17 points on 5-for-18 shooting after combining for 50 points in their previous game.

Nuggets 127, Lakers 102

Nikola Jokic led the way for Denver with 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in their victory over Los Angeles.

Michael Porter Jr. also had a strong performance with 24 points, 13 of which came in the third quarter, helping the Nuggets outscore the Lakers 37-15 in that period. Porter