Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return, a late Orlando Magic surge, and the Utah Jazz halting San Antonio’s run shaped a busy NBA night, with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jazz and Magic all winning despite fierce resistance from the Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets and Spurs.
The Magic edged Denver 127-126 despite another huge Nikola Jokic triple-double, Milwaukee defeated Chicago 112-103 to stop a five-game Bulls streak, and Utah beat San Antonio 127-114, ending the Spurs’ league-best eight-game winning run.
Anthony Black powered Orlando with a career-best 38 points as the Magic rallied from 17 points down against Denver. Desmond Bane added 24 points, including two decisive free throws with 6.9 seconds left, as Orlando shot 67.4% in the second half to complete
the comeback against the defending champions.
Jokic delivered another major all-round display for the Nuggets, finishing with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 12 assists. That effort gave Jokic his 180th triple-double and 16th of the season, leaving Jokic one shy of Oscar Robertson for second on the NBA career triple-doubles list, and extending Jokic’s run of elite stat lines.
Anthony Black highlights vs. DEN: 38 PTS*6 REB5 AST14-24 FG7-11 3P 30 MIN *marks a career-high pic.twitter.com/LQCvp0bxG3 Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 28, 2025
Antetokounmpo returned from an eight-game absence caused by a right calf strain and posted 29 points on 67% shooting plus eight rebounds in 25 minutes, as Milwaukee overcame Chicago. Doc Rivers had confirmed before tip-off that Antetokounmpo would play under a minutes limit in the first appearance since 3 December.
Ryan Rollins supplied 20 points off the bench, while Bobby Portis contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Those contributions helped the Bucks end a poor stretch where Milwaukee had lost six of eight games, steadying form against a Bulls team that had won five straight contests.
Milwaukee held a narrow 95-94 edge with about five minutes remaining before Rollins and AJ Green hit back-to-back three-pointers during an 8-0 burst. That run created enough separation, and Chicago never got the margin below three points again in the closing minutes, despite several late pushes.
Giannis dominated in his return.29 PTS | 8 REB | 67 FG% pic.twitter.com/9EwpSOAuvc Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 28, 2025
NBA: Jazz end Spurs winning streak
Nikola Vucevic and Coby White each scored 16 points for Chicago, with Josh Giddey adding 13, but the Bulls could not extend their winning sequence. After the final buzzer, players from both sides exchanged words, apparently reacting to Milwaukee’s late breakaway pass to Antetokounmpo, yet the situation stayed calm and both teams left the court without incident.
In San Antonio, Lauri Markkanen posted 29 points and Keyonte George scored 28 as Utah beat the Spurs 127-114. Walter Clayton Jr. added 17 points and Jusuf Nurkic finished with 16, helping the Jazz secure a second straight win following four consecutive defeats, while also building on a 131-129 victory over Eastern Conference leaders Detroit on 27 December.
Victor Wembanyama, back in San Antonio’s starting five for the first time since 14 November against Golden State, led the Spurs with 32 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and three assists in 27 minutes and 42 seconds. Keldon Johnson added 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Stephon Castle scored 20, while DeAaron Fox missed the game due to tightness in the left adductor.
Another night of Key and Lau playing like All-Stars 57 points with 8 threes combined, thats another mark in the W column #PlayerHighlights presented by @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/PHG19j8ehc Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 28, 2025
Across the league, Antetokounmpo’s efficient comeback, Jokic’s historic numbers, and Wembanyama’s strong return highlighted a night where three win streaks ended. The Bucks, Magic and Jazz each gained timely momentum heading into the next stretch of the NBA schedule, while the Bulls, Nuggets and Spurs regroup after narrow or costly defeats.
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