Bucks ‘Big 3’ combine for 84 points, dump Steph Curry-less Warriors

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton combined for 84 points, and the well-rested Milwaukee Bucks overpowered the short-handed Golden State Warriors late for a 129-118 victory Saturday night (Sunday, January 14, Manila time) in Wisconsin.

Antetokounmpo led the way with a game-high 33 points. Lillard had 27 and Middleton 24 as part of a double-double with a game-high 10 assists for the Bucks, whose only game since Monday was a 33-point breeze over the visiting Boston Celtics.

Playing the second night of a road back-to-back and doing so without Stephen Curry (rest), the Warriors also had three players score 20 or more points, led by Jonathan Kuminga with 28. Brandin Podziemski totaled 23 in a double-double with a game-high-tying 10 rebounds, and Klay Thompson had 21.

The Warriors led by as many as seven points, that coming when Thompson nailed a 3-pointer to give the visitors a 72-65 lead at the midpoint of the third quarter. But two bursts eventually allowed the Bucks to win for just the third time in their last seven games.

Less than two minutes later after the Warriors had gone up by seven, Milwaukee regained a 75-72 advantage after two Antetokounmpo dunks and consecutive 3-pointers by Bobby Portis and Lillard in a 10-0 burst.

Golden State managed six subsequent ties, the last at 96-all on a Kuminga 3-pointer with eight minutes to play. But Antetokounmpo and Middleton countered with three-point plays and Andre Jackson Jr. scored on a dunk.

When Malik Beasley bombed in a 3-pointer with 6:25 to go, the Bucks had control of the game for the first time at 107-98.

Antetokounmpo shot 13-for-22, Lillard 9-for-19 and Middleton 10-for-13 for the Bucks, who connected at a 54.3 percent rate.

Jackson had a second Bucks double-double with 10 points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds, while Brook Lopez and Beasley added 11 points each and Portis 10.

Dario Saric had a team-high six assists to go with 12 points and six rebounds, while Trayce Jackson-Davis added 12 points for the Warriors, who have lost seven of 10. – Rappler.com