Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) shoots against Milwaukee Bucks center Bobby Portis Jr. during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Saturday, March 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By The Associated Press undefined

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Klay Thompson scored a season-best 38 points, raising his right arm in triumph to ignite the home crowd and leading the Golden State Warriors past the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, 122-109 on Saturday night.

Thompson had his second 30-point performance since returning Jan. 9 from a two-year absence following knee and Achilles surgeries.

Milwaukee native Jordan Poole returned to Golden State’s starting lineup and scored 30 points with five 3-pointers to go with six rebounds and five assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and eight rebounds, but the Warriors’ defense held the rest of the Bucks down. Milwaukee had won six a row.

TIMBERWOLVES 113, HEAT 104

MIAMI (AP) — Jaylen Nowell scored 16 points, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards each added 15 and Minnesota beat Miami.

The Timberwolves have won seven of eight games.

Tyler Herro scored 30 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Heat. They had 37 points in the second half after scoring 42 in the second quarter. Miami has lost two of three.

Miami’s Markieff Morris had six points and four rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench in his first game in more than four months. He missed 58 games due to a whiplash injury suffered in a Nov. 8 scuffle with Denver’s Nikola Jokic.

The Heat played without Jimmy Butler (toe irritation), Caleb Martin (knee), and Victor Oladipo (knee). Oladipo’s absence was planned after he played in three games in a five-day span for his first games in nearly a year following surgery.

BULLS 101, CAVALIERS 91

CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, Nikola Vucevic added 20 points and 14 rebounds and Chicago beat Cleveland.

Ayo Dosunmu made three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for the Bulls, who came away with their second straight win after losing five in a row even though they were missing Zach LaVine. The two-time All-Star was sidelined because of lingering soreness in his left knee.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 25 points.

PACERS 119, SPURS 108

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points and 10 assists and Indiana beat San Antonio to snap a three-game skid.

San Antonio sat Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, and Jakob Poeltl a night after coach Gregg Popovich became the winningest coach in NBA history. The Spurs rallied to beat Utah 104-102 on Friday night, giving Popovich his 1,336th regular-season victory to break a tie with Don Nelson.

Spurs rookie center Jock Landale had a season-high 26 points.