Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a career-high 52 points – but his Milwaukee Bucks side were still downed 130-125 by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Antetokounmpo hit 19 of 21 free throws to pass his previous milestone by eight points.
The Greek Freak posted MVP numbers: 52 PTS (career-high) | 16 REB | 7 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 58% FG#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/7pIOBURhqa — Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 17, 2019
But Joel Embiid also recorded a massive scoring night with 40 points, 15 rebounds and six assists to hold off the league-leading Bucks and clinch a playoff berth for the second season in a row.
40 POINTS, 15 rebounds and 6 assists for @JoelEmbiid in the victory over Milwaukee! #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/BMRgNIuLtk — * – Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 18, 2019
In New York, the Knicks went to the wire against the Los Angeles Lakers, edging the win 124-123.
LeBron James closed in on the game-winner with 2.3 seconds on the clock but was blocked by Mario Hezonja, handing the Knicks their first win in eight games.
Emmanuel Mudiay finished with 28 points and eight assists, rounding off the scoring with two free throws with 22 seconds to play.
Lou Williams, meanwhile, hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to push the Los Angeles Clippers 119-116 over the Brooklyn Nets.
✅ First career game-winning, walk-off buzzer-beater✅ Longest buzzer beater in the @NBA this season✅ @TeamLou23 earns tonight's @Kia Performance of the Game. pic.twitter.com/EeRkweMy5V — LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 18, 2019
The point guard scored 25 points overall after holding off a late rally from Brooklyn, with his game-winning shot giving coach Doc Rivers his 300th win with the Clippers.
Chris Paul scored six three-pointers to tie his career best – finishing with 25 points and 10 assists – as the Houston Rockets overcame the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-102.
The Timberwolves have now lost three straight games.
In the night's other games, Miami Heat held on to their eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with a 93-75 win over the Charlotte Hornets, and the Detroit Pistons defeated the Toronto Raptors 110-107, with Blake Griffin scoring 25 points in the victory.
Elsewhere, the Sacramento Kings beat the Chicago Bulls 129-102 and the Orlando Magic saw off the Atlanta Hawks 101-91.
ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '6456a214-9a95-4590-bef9-c2538a246abc');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:basketball,sport:other');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Antetokounmpo half-century proves in vain while LeBron is denied at the buzzer'});
