Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks utilized a strong fourth quarter to defeat the Golden State Warriors 129-118 on Saturday night.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks utilized a strong fourth quarter to defeat the Golden State Warriors 129-118 on Saturday night.
The Warriors rested Stephen Curry on the second night of a road back-to-back, while Draymond Green is still out. Coach Steve Kerr said that he could return from his suspension Monday in Memphis or Wednesday in Utah, when the Warriors wrap off their four-game road trip.
Damian Lillard had 27 points, while Khris Middleton had 24, including 13 in the fourth quarter, and 10 assists. Milwaukee outscored the Warriors 46-37 in the fourth period, hitting 19 of 27 shots (70%).
Golden State, led by Jonathan Kuminga and rookie point guard Brandy Podziemski, gave the Bucks everything they could handle until the Bucks won in the final minutes.
Kuminga finished with 28 points, while Podziemski finished with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 10 assists. Klay Thompson led all scorers with 21 points.
With 10 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes, Bucks rookie guard Andre Jackson Jr. recorded his first professional double-double.
One of the third-quarter highlights was Jackson’s block on Golden State center Trayce Jackson-Davis, which led to Lillard’s 3-pointer, giving the Bucks a 75-72 lead.
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With 1:41 remaining, the Bucks took a 120-110 lead thanks to a rebound basket by Brook Lopez and an alley-oop from Middleton to Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks led 33-24 after shooting 6 of 9 from 3-point range in the first quarter. Lillard scored 12 points in the first quarter.
However, the Warriors replied with a 9-2 run to start the second quarter, gaining a seven-point lead before settling for a 56-54 lead at halftime.
Curry scored 27 points and played 35 minutes in Golden State’s 140-131 win over Chicago on Friday night.
“He’s just completely wiped out right now,” Kerr said before the game. “We’ve relied heavily on him, and he’s played a lot of games.” He’s just tired and needs the night off.”
Green was reinstated by the league on January 7 after serving a 12-game suspension for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on December 12. Prior to the game, Green worked out on the court.
“He’s been working out every day and he said he’s coming around and feeling good,” Mr. Kerr added.