Giannis Antetokounmpo stars as Bucks seal place in play-offs

Late comeback secures third win in a row against Brooklyn Nets

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against Blake Griffin of the Brooklyn Nets. AFP

The Milwaukee Bucks sealed their place in the play-offs after staging a late comeback to beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-118.

Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 36 points and Khris Middleton added 23 for Milwaukee, who had an 18-1 run in the fourth quarter on their way to victory.

The Bucks have now won three in a row, while Brooklyn - second in the Eastern - have lost three on the trot.

The Phoenix Suns, top of the Western Conference, needed overtime to see off the Cleveland Cavaliers 134-118.

Devin Booker, who scored 36, missed a three-point jump shot with 1.5 seconds to go which would have secured the win for Phoenix, but the Suns scored 15 unanswered points at the start of the extra five minutes.

Lonzo Ball scored an 18-foot jump shot with 26.2 seconds left to break a tie and went on to hit four free throws as the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Golden State Warriors 108-103, while the Los Angeles Clippers halted a three-game losing streak with a 105-100 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Elsewhere, the Detroit Pistons were downed by the Charlotte Hornets 102-99, Tim Hardaway Jr scored 36 as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat 127-113 and the Sacramento Kings beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-99.