On Sunday night, the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Washington Wizards 117-111. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points, had a season-high 13 assists, and got the ball back after a shot that was missed on purpose with one second left. This was his fourth triple-double of the season.
Jevon Carter added 20 points by making 6 of 10 three-point shots, and Jrue Holiday scored 19. Milwaukee won the game a day after losing at home to Philadelphia, which ended a 16-game winning streak.
When Antetokounmpo dribbled to the basket and threw the ball off the backboard to himself for his 10th rebound, the game was almost over.
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Antetokounmpo said, “I was thinking about scoring the ball, but I think in those situations it’s best to keep the ball.” “But, yeah, I just try to play smart and kind of stole one.”
The Bucks made 22 of their 49 three-point shots, which is the most the Wizards have let anyone do this season. They also moved ahead of Boston by 112 games in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said, “We feel like we have a lot of depth” because six players made more than one 3-pointer. “We have a lot of guys who are good 3-point shooters and can get on a roll. So, part of being a good team is being able to play two games in a row and still make it through the season and be ready for the playoffs.”
The Wizards are still 10th in the East and in line for the last spot in the play-in tournament. Bradley Beal scored 33 points for them. Washington lost at home for the second time in two nights. Kristaps Porzingis added 24 points and 14 rebounds.
“I’m happy with how hard we played and what we gave our fans,” Porzingis said after Washington came back from being down 17 points early in the game to make it close. “Even though we lost these two tough games, I think we can learn something good from them.”
The Wizards slowly cut into the Bucks’ 11-point lead at halftime. They finally took the lead after a run that lasted from the end of the third quarter to the beginning of the fourth quarter.
The Bucks responded by scoring five straight points, with Carter and Grayson Allen each hitting two 3-pointers to give them the lead back. Then Allen and Joe Ingles hit from long range again during a 12–4 stretch that ended the game.
Carter said, “It was just taking the ones that were there.” “It seemed like when I was lowering it, they just kept moving back, so I was just going to take the shot quickly.”
