SUMMARY
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Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen each scored 21 points and the Utah Jazz held on for a 132-116 win over the host Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night (Tuesday, January 9, Manila time).
The Jazz led by as many as 33 points in the first half — and held a 77-46 halftime lead — before Milwaukee rallied to within seven just over 6 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter.
John Collins, Collin Sexton and Keyonte George added 19 points apiece for Utah, which put the game away by holding the Bucks scoreless for nearly 2 1/2 minutes after its lead was trimmed to seven with 5:26 remaining.
Giannis Antetokounmpo registered a triple-double of 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Milwaukee. Khris Middleton scored 23 points to go along with eight assists and Malik Beasley added 17 points in the loss.
The Bucks were without Damian Lillard, who missed the game for personal reasons. Milwaukee has lost four of its past five.
Utah, which has won 11 of its past 15, shot 52.2 percent from the floor and was a blistering 20-for-44 from 3-point range. Sixteen of those 3s came in the explosive first half, tying the Brooklyn Nets for the most triples in a first half this season.
Brook Lopez (13 points) and Beasley hit early back-to-back 3s to give Milwaukee a 6-5 lead, but that was short-lived.
Eleven seconds later, Simone Fontecchio scored on an alley-oop dunk to spark the Jazz on a 16-3 run. Sexton hit three triples in a row in that stretch, boosting Utah to a 41-23 lead after the first quarter.
The Jazz didn’t let up in the second, using a 10-2 run to help build a 33-point lead before settling on the 31-point halftime advantage.
Utah’s 77 points were the most given up by the Bucks in any half this season. Meanwhile, Milwaukee only shot 33.3 percent from the floor in the opening half.
Beasley quickly hit two 3-pointers in the second half as the Bucks went on a 12-2 run to get within 21. The Bucks pulled within eight in the third quarter and outscored Utah by 21. The rally included a season-high-tying 44 points in a quarter.
George put Utah back up by 10 going into the fourth quarter and then scored six consecutive points during a 9-2 run that gave the Jazz a 109-92 lead.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks’ final charge with a couple of inside buckets and a dish to Lopez, but Milwaukee couldn’t get any closer than seven. – Rappler.com
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