Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 133-123 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Devin Booker scored 39 points for Phoenix but it was not enough to prevent the Suns from falling to a fourth consecutive defeat, a late-season mini-slump that has imperiled their playoff hopes.
The Suns are now in 11th place in the West with a 35-41 record, trailing the 10th-placed Sacramento Kings (36-39). Teams ranked 7th to 10th in the conference standings advance to a four-team play-in tournament that determines the final two playoff tickets.
The Indiana Pacers became the latest team to clinch their playoff place after the Atlanta Hawks slumped to a 127-113 home defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The result ensured that the Pacers, fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 44-31 record, are guaranteed a top-six finish.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images
