© Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks pull away late to take down the Golden State Warriors
Behind a huge fourth-quarter explosion, the Milwaukee Bucks logged their first winning streak of the year as they turned back the Golden State Warriors, 129-118 on Saturday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 33 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, leading the Bucks’ second-straight win after dropping four of their first five games of the month.
Milwaukee improved to 2-1 in its current four-game homestand, which will end on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings.
Total team effort
Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard also turned in big numbers for the Bucks, which came into the match fresh from a blowout 135-102 win over the Boston Celtics.
Damian tallied 27 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and two blocks, while Khris piled up 24 markers, 10 dimes, three boards, an assist, and a block.
Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley added 11 points each as all Milwaukee starters scored in double figures.
Bobby Portis Jr. and Andre Jackson Jr. contributed 10 markers apiece. The rookie Jackson had his first career double-double after also grabbing 10 rebounds.
Golden State played without Stephen Curry (rest) and Draymond Green (conditioning), but it was only in the final minutes that Milwaukee was able to pull away.
The Warriors led at the bend, 56-54. The lead increased to seven in the third, 72-65.
Endgame break-away
Milwaukee prevented things from getting out of hand when it went on to outscore Golden State in the third period, 29-25, to take a slim 83-81 lead, entering the final quarter.
The hard-fighting Warriors kept the game close in the early goings of the fourth quarter as they were just within 98-99 with still 7:33 left.
Eight unanswered points by the Bucks that extended their lead to 107-98. Milwaukee then built a 120-110 lead in the final 1:42 to seal the win.
The Bucks outscored the Warriors in the fourth, 46-37, as they hiked their record to 27-12, while the Warriors dropped to 18-21.
Jonathan Kuminga fired a team-high 28 points in a reserve role for Golden State.Brandin Podziemski added 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Klay Thompson pitched in 21 markers.
