Lakers sweat on injured superstar; Simmons' spectacular one ...

Another day, another close loss for the valiant Brooklyn Nets against a highly-fancied opponent.

It may not be much solace for coach Jacque Vaughn after a similar effort ended with the Nets coming up short in a 124-114 loss to Boston on Sunday.

But despite having Nic Claxton sidelined and this being a young team still forming its identity, Brooklyn pushed Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Milwaukee Bucks all the way in a 129-125 loss.

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Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and a steal while Lillard had 21 to go with six rebounds, even assists and one steal.

Ben Simmons was a machine on the boards, finishing the game with 15 rebounds and capping his night off with a highlight putback dunk after a Mikal Bridges miss.

Meanwhile, the Nets were also finding success using Simmons as a screener near the 3-point line, with Bridges draining one from deep earlier in the game after what Sarah Kustok described as an “excellent” screen from the three-time All-Star.

In saying that, again Simmons was at times hesitant as a scorer as the Australian attempted just three shots, making one for two points.

That didn’t matter much in the end though because this night belonged to Cam Thomas as the 22-year-old continued his impressive start to the 2022-23 season with a team-high 45 points.

Thomas, who has had no problems making tough mid-range fade-aways and floaters, this time also flashed his potential from deep as he made six 3-pointers in the loss.

The Bucks went on a 10-1 run to close the gap at 90-89 and should have gone ahead when MarJon Beauchamp had an open lane in transition for the dunk, only to be called up for a travel.

The Nets answered right back through a Royce O’Neal 3-pointer in a five-point swing, only for Milwaukee to charge back and lead 108-99 at one point as Giannis Antetokounmpo started to take over.

That is when Thomas really started to heat up again though, scoring seven points in the space of two minutes as the Nets took a 111-108 lead.

It looked like both teams would be fighting it out until the final buzzer and that ended up being the case, with the Bucks leading 128-125 heading into the last 30 seconds.

It only made sense to get the ball in Thomas’ hands and he was quick to drive towards the rim but couldn’t get the finish, meaning Brooklyn had no choice but to play the foul game.

Milwaukee made enough of its free throws too, finishing 129-125 winners.

LAKERS SWEAT ON DAVIS AFTER INJURY

Elsewhere, the Lakers will be sweating on the health of star big man Anthony Davis after he experienced hip spasms late in the second quarter of their 108-107 loss to the Miami Heat.

Davis received treatment at halftime and re-entered the game for the third but was clearly hampered by the issue as Miami outscored the Lakers 28-20.

Anthony Davis went off injured. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP

The Heat out-hustled the Lakers in that period with five offensive rebounds and nine second-chance points, with Jimmy Butler scoring 11 points to go with one assist, two steals and a rebound.

The Lakers rallied early in the fourth quarter, with LeBron James and Austin Reaves scoring or assisting on all nine points as they reduced the Heat’s buffer to 94-88.

A James and-1 later put the Lakers one shot away from the lead, only trailing 108-107 with just over two minutes left on the clock.

From there though both teams went cold, with neither team making a single field goal in the remainder of the game as the Heat held on for a tense 108-107 win.

Davis did not play any minutes in the fourth quarter and coach Darvin Ham was unable to provide an update after the game outside of telling Spectrum SportsNet that the Lakers big man was “in good spirits”.

“We’ll let our medical team do what they need to do and have an answer at a later time,” he added.

KNICKS SPOIL HARDEN’S HYPED CLIPPERS DEBUT

Elsewhere, new Clippers recruit Harden finished with 17 points and six assists but could not prevent his new team falling to a 111-97 road defeat to the New York Knicks.

The 34-year-old former NBA Most Valuable Player was one of five Clippers players in double figures but Tyronn Lue’s star-studded lineup were outgunned by the Knicks’ R.J. Barrett and Julius Randle, who combined for 53 points.

Clippers coach Lue liked what he saw from Harden despite his team’s defeat. “I thought James was really good,” Lue said.

“It’s going to take him a little time to get in game shape, we understand that. But his presence on the floor was definitely felt.”

New York ran away with the game in a one-sided fourth quarter, outscoring the Clippers 35-21 for a win that sees them improve to 3-4 in the Eastern Conference.

James Harden made his Clippers debut. Rich Schultz/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

WEMBY, SPURS HANDED REALITY CHECK

Indiana gave rising San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama a reality check in a 152-111 drubbing.

Wembanyama had earned rave reviews after posting 20 points against Toronto on Sunday and 38 points in a victory over Phoenix last Thursday.

But the 19-year-old’s hot hand went stone cold in Indianapolis, with the French teenager shooting just 3-of-12 from the field to finish 13 points.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said only two of his players -- Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins -- had performed well.

“They were the only guys on our team who showed consistent, decent play,” Popovich said. “A lot of that had to do with Indiana -- they were on fire and jumped on us.”

Asked about Wembanyama’s contribution, Popovich added: “He moved well. But like I said -- only two guys played decently.”

EMBIID ERUPTS, STEPH SIZZLES AND NUGGETS ROAR BACK TO LIFE

In Philadelphia, reigning MVP Joel Embiid erupted for 48 points as the Sixers cruised to a 146-128 defeat of the Washington Wizards, who are bottom of the Eastern Conference with just one win in six games.

Embiid was in imperious form for the Sixers, making 17-of-25 from the field while draining a perfect 14 out of 14 from the free throw line. The Sixers improved to 5-1.

In the Western Conference meanwhile Steph Curry’s sizzling start to the season continued as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Detroit Pistons 120-109.

Curry is averaging more than 30 points a game in the league this season and added another 34 in Monday’s win. The Warriors improved to 6-2 to remain in third place.

In Denver, the defending NBA champion Nuggets produced a scintillating second-half comeback to sink the New Orleans Pelicans 134-116.

Denver trailed by 20 points in the second quarter after a fast start from the Pels, but came roaring back to outscore their opponents 75-45 after halftime.

Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic contributed a 35-point triple-double which included 14 rebounds and 12 assists in a remarkable second-half turnaround by Denver.