Giannis Antetokounmpo drops 30 as Bucks rout Warriors

Giannis Antetokounmpo buried a game-high 30 points and led a parade to the free throw line as the Milwaukee Bucks blitzed the visiting Golden State Warriors, 128-111, on Tuesday night, December 13 (Wednesday, December 14, Manila time) in a nationally televised game that was marred by eight technical fouls.

Antetokounmpo went 11-for-17 at the line and his teammates made all 15 of their foul shots as the Bucks ran up a 26-15 advantage in free throw points over a Warriors team that saw four players and coach Steve Kerr pick up technicals.

Stephen Curry had a team-high 20 points – and one of the “T’s” – in 27 minutes for Golden State, which was opening its longest trip of the season, a six-game stretch.

Using 10 early three-pointers, the Warriors managed to hang within 58-52 after a Jordan Poole layup with 1:21 remaining in the first half.

But the Bucks got baskets from Antetokounmpo, Wesley Matthews, and Bobby Portis to finish the period on a six-point run to double their advantage, then got another hoop from Antetokounmpo and a three-pointer from Khris Middleton to open the third quarter and complete an 11-0 run bridging the intermission to open a 69-52 advantage.

The Warriors never got much closer, opting instead to rest key players late for the second night of a back-to-back in Indiana on Wednesday.

Antetokounmpo’s 15th 30-point outing of the season came despite just 9-for-26 shooting from the field and 1-for-6 accuracy from beyond the arc. He even got nailed with a technical after a second 10-second violation at the free throw line.

Antetokounmpo completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds, while Portis did the same with 25 points and 11 boards off the bench. Middleton returned from a sprained ankle suffered in Sunday’s loss at Houston to contribute 20 points to the win, while Grayson Allen had 16 on a perfect shooting night – 6-for-6 from the field, 2-for-2 on threes and 2-for-2 at the line.

The Bucks, who had won four in a row before the debacle at Houston, shot 54.9% overall, well better than Golden State (40%). Milwaukee upped its record to 20-7.

Poole, a former Milwaukee prep standout, chipped in 18 points for the Warriors, who were coming off a home win over the Boston Celtics.

The Warriors hold a baffling 2-12 record on the road yet thrive at home for a 14-14 slate.

Jonathan Kuminga finished with 19 points, Donte DiVincenzo 16, and Klay Thompson 14 for the Warriors.

Kevon Looney, another of Golden State’s Milwaukee natives, grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds to go with 5 points. – Rappler.com