The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 116-104 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, becoming the first team with 50 wins this season while giving their opponents the third loss in a row.

Both teams played back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday. The Bucks rested Khris Middleton and Grayson Allen, adding Jevon Carter and Pat Connaughton to the starting lineup to fill in their positions. Carter and Connaughton drained five triples combined. Connaughton also delivered three blocks.

The Bucks' major offensive production came from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. The "Greek Freak" missed all eight of his jump shots, but he went 11-for-13 under the hoop and made 14 of the 24 free throws he earned to drop 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Lopez was not in his best shooting form behind the arc, where he made one of his five attempts, but Lopez shot 9-for-9 within the 3-point line to get a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds.

The dominance of Antetokounmpo and Lopez in the paint also facilitated offensive rebounding of the Bucks, who led both on the offensive glass 13-8 and in second-chance points 21-7.

Compared with his teammates, Jrue Holiday didn't make a triple. Nor did he shoot well from the field. He even had more turnovers (six) than assists (five). However, Holiday posted the second-best plus-minus of +21 in Tuesday's game. He did an excellent job of containing the opponents' ace scorer, Devin Booker, in the fourth quarter.

The Suns carried on their style of attacking which focused on shooting mid-range jumpers from Monday to Tuesday. They had a good point to do so because the Bucks built their NBA-third-best defense on having Lopez drop down to protect the paint. As one of the major candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year this season, Lopez averages 2.5 blocks per game.

The area above the free throw line is one of the few open spots the Bucks are willing to allow and the Suns have three of the best mid-range shooters in their positions in today's NBA: Chris Paul, Booker and Deandre Ayton. The trio shot 21-for-40 in the middle-range. Ayton was giving Lopez a hard time before he had to sit on the bench because of foul trouble. Booker made seven of his 10 field goals (FGs) in the third quarter to get 17 points until Holiday shut him down with a textbook performance of defending screen plays in the fourth period.

Tuesday's win enabled the Bucks to lock on to a playoff berth with 13 games to go. They are currently three games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. If the team maintains their current form, they are likely to enjoy the home court advantage through the postseason.

By contrast, the Suns are still fourth in the Western Conference after their loss on Tuesday night, but they are only one game above the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers. Even the seventh-ranking Minnesota Timberwolves are just two games away from the Suns.

Other games on Tuesday (away teams come first):

Denver Nuggets 110-125 Toronto Raptors

Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby shot 12-for-20 in combination from downtown, making all of the triples for the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on Tuesday. Half of these 3-pointers were made in the first quarter when the Raptors rallied a 49-30 run. Though the team struggled in the following two periods and watched their lead shrink to six points (98-92), the Raptors ended the opponents' counterstrike with a solid defense in the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets still lead the West despite the fourth straight loss they suffered on Tuesday. They conceded an average of 123 points in the four games. The team was surpassed by the Philadelphia 76ers in winning percentage. That is not good news for Nikola Jokic, who is competing for this season's NBA Most Valuable Player Award – his third in a row – with Joel Embiid.

Los Angeles Lakers 123-108 New Orleans Pelicans

The Lakers led 75-40 after draining franchise record 15 triples in the first half at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Tuesday. It is also the biggest half-time lead the team has ever got on the road since the NBA introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954. Malik Beasley alone made seven 3-pointers in the first two quarters. Anthony Davis made 11 of his 18 FGs to drop a double-double of 35 points and 17 rebounds.

The Pelicans were competing with the Lakers for the play-in tournament qualification in the West. They dropped to the 12th in the conference and are one game behind the Lakers after Tuesday's loss. The team has 13 games to play and try to make it back to top 10 in the West.

Brooklyn Nets 107-121 Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder overcame a 16-point deficit (62-46) to secure their third consecutive win at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Tuesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points for the team while Josh Giddey added a triple-double of 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to take the Thunder to eighth in the West.

Mikal Bridges had 34 points for the Nets in Tuesday's game. It's the seventh time for him to score 30 or more points since he was traded there in early February. He also delivered four blocks. Bridges is already an elite defender and now shows the potential to grow into an All-Star caliber.

Cleveland Cavaliers 120-104 Charlotte Hornets

Detroit Pistons 97-117 Washington Wizards

Orlando Magic 114-132 San Antonio Spurs

New York Knicks 123-107 Portland Trail Blazers