Eric Bledsoe scored 29 points as the host Milwaukee Bucks won their 16th consecutive game despite the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, routing the New Orleans Pelicans, 127-112, on Wednesday night.
Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA MVP, sat out the game because of a sore quad tendon and three teammates joined Bledsoe in double figures. Khris Middleton scored 24, Ersan Ilyasova added 18 and George Hill had 13.
The Bucks, who are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the league (22-3), matched their longest winning streak since winning 16 in a row over two seasons in 1973.
JJ Redick scored 31, Brandon Ingram had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Jrue Holiday scored 21 and rookie Jaxson Hayes had 12 points to lead the Pelicans, who lost their 10th game in a row.
The Pelicans, who had made just 11 of 70 3-pointers in their last two games, hit 16 of 45 on Wednesday. But they shot just 44.3 percent (39 of 88) overall, while Milwaukee shot 53.8 percent (50 of 93) from the floor.
The Bucks led, 69-46, at halftime, but the Pelicans started chipping away in the third quarter.
They crept within 95-82 on rookie Nickeil Alexander-Walker's 3-pointer with 2:43 left in the period.
Sterling Brown scored five points as Milwaukee rebuilt the lead to 105-86 at the end of the quarter.
Hill's basket gave Milwaukee a 111-88 lead early in the fourth quarter and they kept New Orleans at a safe distance the rest of the way.
Ingram, the Pelicans' leading scorer with an average of 24.9 points per game, went to the bench after committing his third foul with 5:45 left in the first quarter. The Bucks had a 25-12 lead.
The lead grew to 35-12 before Redick made a basket for New Orleans. Holiday scored the final six points, leaving Milwaukee with a 35-20 lead at the end of the period.
The Pelicans cut the lead to 11 early in the second quarter, but the Bucks built it to as many as 28 points before taking a 69-46 halftime lead.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points, collected 14 rebounds and dished out six assists to help the Milwaukee Bucks hold on for a 122-118 win over the visiting Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Wesley Matthews added 19 points and Eric Bledsoe chipped in 13 for the Bucks, who won for the 13th time in 14 games and avenged their only loss during that stretch.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points and Donovan Mitchell added 20 for the Jazz.
Utah rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and cut Milwaukee's lead to 120-118 on Mitchell's layup with 43.8 seconds remaining. The Jazz had a chance to tie, but Brook Lopez blocked another layup attempt from Mitchell with 4.4 seconds left. Pat Connaughton hit a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
Utah had 18 assists on 20 made first-half baskets.
Bogdanovic led the way, scoring 11 points in the second quarter. He helped the Jazz lead by as many as 13 points before halftime. His final basket of the quarter gave Utah a 57-45 advantage.
The Bucks rallied in the third quarter behind hot shooting from Antetokounmpo. He scored four baskets and assisted on another to fuel a 15-2 run. The reigning NBA MVP punctuated the rally with a pair of free throws to put ahead Milwaukee, 78-77.
Antetokounmpo then sparked a 12-0 run to give the Bucks a 92-83 advantage early in the fourth quarter. He made a pair of baskets and assisted two others.
Anteokounmpo made his presence felt all over the floor during the third quarter, when he totaled 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. His effort helped the Bucks score 42 points that quarter.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 24 points, 19 rebounds and a career-high 15 assists as the host Milwaukee Bucks posted a 137-129 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
The triple-double was the second of the season for Antetokounmpo, who collected 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in Milwaukee's 117-111 win at Houston on Oct. 24.
Eric Bledsoe scored 30 points and Pat Connaughton added a season-high 18 to help the Bucks notch their season-high sixth straight win and 10th in 11 outings. The point total was a season best for Milwaukee.
CJ McCollum highlighted his 37-point performance by making five 3-pointers, and Skal Labissiere added 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Trail Blazers, who were without four-time All-Star Damian Lillard (back) for the second consecutive contest.
Carmelo Anthony scored 10 of his 18 points in the first half while playing in his second game with Portland after a year away from the NBA.
Labissiere was credited with a layup following a goaltending call on Antetokounmpo before sinking a pair of jumpers as Portland closed to within four at 114-110.
McCollum added a pair of jumpers to bring the Trail Blazers within two, but Brook Lopez and Wesley Matthews each drained a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to build the lead back to eight with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Antetokounmpo made a pair of baskets and Bledsoe and Donte DiVincenzo added a pair of layups to push Milwaukee's lead to 131-119 just under two minutes later.
DiVincenzo received a lead pass from Antetokounmpo, marking the latter's 15th assist of the night to eclipse his previous high set against Brooklyn on March 13, 2016.
Milwaukee opened the contest by making its first seven shots -- including three from 3-point range -- to seize a 17-6 lead before Portland answered with a 12-2 run of its own.
The Bucks bounced back as all nine players found the scoresheet to lift the team to a 37-27 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Milwaukee boosted its advantage to 19 points midway into the second quarter and claimed a 72-58 lead at intermission, marking an NBA-best seventh time that it has scored at least 70 points in a half.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and added eight assists as the Milwaukee Bucks held on to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors 115-105 Saturday night.
The Raptors tried to come back from a 26-point deficit but could get no closer than four points in the fourth quarter.
It was the first meeting between the teams since the Raptors eliminated the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals last season.
Eric Bledsoe added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks, while Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez each had 11 points.
Kyle Lowry led Toronto with a season-best 36 points and Pascal Siakam had 16 points before fouling out with 1:41 to play in the fourth quarter. Fred VanVleet added 12 points, Serge Ibaka scored 11 and Marc Gasol contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bucks scored the first five points in the fourth, but Ibaka's dunk cut the lead to four with 7:03 remaining.
The Bucks bumped the lead to seven points on Middleton's two free throws with 3:27 remaining. VanVleet's 3-pointer trimmed the lead to four with 2:24 remaining. But the Bucks went ahead by eight on a dunk by Antetokounmpo with 1:22 to go.
The Bucks opened a 12-1 lead with Antetokounmpo scoring seven and finished the first quarter with a 36-17 lead.
The lead reached 22 points early in the second quarter when Lopez made a 3-pointer. Middleton's reverse layup with 4:59 remaining in the first half gave the Bucks a 55-30 lead.
The Raptors outscored the Bucks 25-15 in the final 6:45 of the first half that ended with the Bucks leading 66-50.
Antetokounmpo scored 17 first-half points and Lowry also led Toronto with 17. The Bucks shot 53.2 percent from the field and the Raptors shot 31.7 percent before the break.
The Bucks opened a 20-point margin on a layup by Donte DiVincenzo two minutes into the third quarter.
Lowry had 17 points in the third quarter as the Raptors trimmed the lead to 95-90 entering the fourth quarter.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and added five assists as the Milwaukee Bucks took command early in defeating the visiting Toronto Raptors 125-103 Friday night to grab a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
The next two games will be played Sunday and Tuesday in Toronto.
Ersan Ilyasova added 17 points off the bench for the Bucks. Nikola Mirotic had 15 points, Malcolm Brogdon 14, George Hill 13 and Khris Middleton 12.
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and had eight rebounds for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry added 15 points, Norman Powell had 14 points, and Serge Ibaka contributed eight points and 10 rebounds.
The Bucks, who never trailed on the night, led by as many as 28 points in the third quarter and entered the fourth with a 17-point advantage.
The Raptors cut the deficit to 15 on Leonard's layup and free throw with 6:10 to play, but Antetokounmpo quickly answered with his own 3-point play.
Toronto's Pascal Siakam fouled out with 5:17 to go, finishing the game with eight points.
The Bucks scored the first nine points of the game, led by as many as 18 points in the first quarter and were ahead 35-21 after 12 minutes.
The Raptors pulled within 12 during the second quarter, but the Bucks turned it on again and took a 19-point lead when Ilyasova nailed a 3-pointer with 4:58 remaining in the first half.
The Bucks led 64-39 at halftime, shooting 48.9 percent from the field while the Raptors shot 36.6 percent. For the game, Milwaukee outshot Toronto 46.7 percent to 42.5 percent.
Antetokounmpo opened the third quarter with a layup and a free throw, bumping the lead to 28.
The Raptors had trimmed the margin to 23 with 9:26 left in the third when they encountered foul trouble with Siakam picking up his fifth personal foul.
Fred VanVleet made a 5-footer with 3:52 remaining, and Milwaukee's lead had dwindled to 13.
The Bucks got the gap back to 19, however, on Hill's consecutive layups in the third.
Toronto's Jodie Meeks ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer to cut Milwaukee's lead to 95-78.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Brook Lopez scored a playoff-career-best 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks used a fourth-quarter surge to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors 108-100 Wednesday night in the opening game of the Eastern Conference finals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who host Game 2 on Friday.
Malcolm Brogdon added 15 points off the bench for the Bucks, Nikola Mirotic scored 13 points, and Khris Middleton had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 31 points and nine rebounds, Kyle Lowry had 30 points, Pascal Siakam scored 15 points, and Marc Gasol had six points and 12 rebounds.
The Bucks, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the first quarter, scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to lead by one.
They took a three-point lead on Middleton's 3-pointer with 7:50 remaining and were up by five on Brogdon's running dunk with 6:33 to go.
The Raptors tied the game at 98 on Lowry's 3-pointer with 4:02 to play. Leonard's two free throws put Toronto ahead by two with 3:31 left.
The Bucks took a one-point lead on Middleton's steal and Lopez's dunk, and they led by four after a 3-pointer by Lopez with 1:55 left.
Eric Bledsoe made two free throws to bump the lead to six with 42 seconds to play, and Middleton's two free throws made the advantage eight points.
The Raptors used a 16-0 run to take a 34-23 lead after one quarter.
Toronto had a 12-point lead during the second quarter before the Bucks battled back and pulled to within three on a Middleton step-back 17-footer that completed an 11-2 run.
Leonard capped the first-half scoring with a dunk, and Toronto led 59-51.
The Bucks opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run, drawing within two.
After the Bucks cut the margin to one, the Raptors went on a 9-0 surge capped by two free throws from Leonard with 6:33 left in the third.
The Bucks cut the deficit to four on a Lopez layup with 2:07 left in the quarter.
Siakam ended the third period with a 3-pointer, giving Toronto an 83-76 lead. The Bucks were 0-for-11 on 3-point attempts in the quarter, and they wound up 11 of 44 from long range. The Raptors sank 15 of their 42 3-point tries.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Dennis Schroder scored 32 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder earn the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with a 127-116 win at the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
The Bucks, who had already sealed the top seed in the Eastern Conference coming into the game, sat three starters -- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez -- to rest them for the playoffs.
While the Bucks had little to play for in the regular-season finale, the Thunder had plenty at stake coming into the game, with their playoff spot to be decided between the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds.
The Thunder took care of that, taking control of the game with 39 points in the second quarter and then maintaining that lead the rest of the way. That quarter included a 16-0 run that featured four 3-pointers.
Playing without Paul George, who hit a game-winning shot the night before against Houston, the Thunder leaned heavily on the 3-pointer with Schroder in the starting lineup in George's place and the Bucks spending much of the game in a zone defense.
Oklahoma City hit a franchise-high 23 3-pointers.
Schroder hit a career-high eight 3-pointers, going 8 of 15 from long distance.
While the Thunder did create much of their offense on the perimeter, they also relied heavily on ball movement. They set a franchise record with 39 assists.
Russell Westbrook finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 17 assists for his fifth triple-double in six games. He tied Magic Johnson for second all-time in career triple-doubles with his 138th.
Jerami Grant had a career-high 28 points for Oklahoma City.
George missed the game with right shoulder soreness after aggravating an earlier injury in Tuesday's win. George has also battled a sore left shoulder over the last two months.
Tim Frazier, making just his second start with the Bucks, had a career-high 29 points, making 4 of 6 from behind the arc. Bonzie Colson and Khris Middleton scored 21 each for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee will start the playoffs against either Detroit or Orlando.
The Thunder will open the playoffs against Portland, Houston or Denver.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half for a 108-99 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
The Bucks went on an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter to get back into the game, then wound up outscoring the Hornets 13-3 in the final five minutes.
Milwaukee won its sixth straight and improved its home record to 22-4. The Bucks continue to have the best record in the NBA at 35-12.
The Bucks' late surge allowed them to shoot 46.1 percent from the field on a night when they struggled for three quarters. They finished 6-for-31 from 3-point range (19.4 percent).
Antetokounmpo scored 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter. His dunk gave the Bucks the lead for good at 97-96 with 4:58 remaining, then Eric Bledsoe hit a drive and Khris Middleton drilled a 3-pointer moments later to push the lead to 102-96.
Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points for the Bucks. Bledsoe scored 18 and Middleton 15.
The Hornets had won four of their previous five games. They played with the lead all night, ahead 27-22 after one quarter, 54-52 at halftime and 87-76 after three quarters. Charlotte led 92-80 when the Bucks went on their 11-0 surge to get back into the game.
Nicolas Batum led the Hornets with 19 points. Jeremy Lamb and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 16 each, Marvin Williams scored 13, and Kemba Walker was held to 10, which is 15 under his season scoring average.
Walker, in his first game since being named a starter in the upcoming All-Star Game, left with 2:06 remaining after getting hurt in a scrum for a loose ball.
The Bucks will now head out on a five-game road trip, starting on Sunday at Oklahoma City. The Hornets were closing out a three-game road trip and will return home to host New York on Monday.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Two days after Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to a road win over New York at Madison Square Garden, he fell two assists shy of recording a triple-double in the Bucks' 112-96 victory over the visiting Knicks on Thursday night.
The "Greek Freak" scored 31 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out eight assists and blocked four shots in Milwaukee. On Tuesday in the Bucks' 109-95 win, Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Khris Middleton carried the early load as Antetokounmpo struggled from the floor. Middleton finished with 25 points, including nine in the third quarter when Milwaukee opened up a 12-point lead.
Things got testy early in the fourth when Enes Kanter knocked Antetokounmpo to the floor with a forearm to the head at the 9:56 mark. The two players went face-to-face with Kanter being the aggressor while play continued on the other end.
Play stopped, and Kanter was given a double technical and ejected. Antetokounmpo also was assessed a technical but stayed in the game.
Malcolm Brogdon made the technical free throw, and the Bucks led by 10. Antetokounmpo followed with two more free throws, and Milwaukee was up 94-82.
Milwaukee received a huge lift off the bench from D.J. Wilson, who in 20 minutes of play scored 10 points and grabbed 14 boards.
Luke Kornet connected on 7 of 11 3-point attempts and led the Knicks with 23 points. Noah Vonleh recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Knicks forward Kevin Knox came into the game with a run of eight consecutive games in which he scored at least 15 points, the longest streak this season by a rookie. He was held to 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
New York started off strong and held a 28-24 lead after one period. The Knicks held Milwaukee to just 37.9 percent shooting from the field in the opening 12 minutes, and the Bucks missed all six of their shots from the 3-point range. The Knicks made 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Brook Lopez finally hit a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key to end the Bucks' drought from long distance.
Milwaukee took control thanks to a 22-4 run in the second quarter, turning a 35-26 deficit into a 48-39 lead.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Eric Bledsoe had 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-92 win on Monday over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.
Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Bucks. Khris Middleton chipped in with 16 as the Bucks connected on 15 of 36 3-point attempts.
The Bucks were playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo because of a sore neck. Antetokounmpo missed one other game this season, a Bucks' victory over Toronto on Oct. 29.
Ersan Ilyasova got the start for Antetokounmpo and totaled nine points and seven rebounds.
Larry Nance Jr. led the Cavs with 16 points and rookie Collin Sexton added 15. Tristan Thompson, who had 16 double-doubles coming into the game, finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
After trailing by 22 in the fourth quarter, Cleveland cut the deficit to 98-87 on a jumper by Sexton with under three minutes left.
Ilyasova answered with two free throws and Middleton added a short jumper to give the Bucks some breathing room.
Milwaukee took control early, surging to a 15-6 lead on the strength of five straight points from Bledsoe and a 27-foot 3-pointer from Middleton.
Sterling Brown scored eight first-quarter points off the bench to spark the Bucks to a 31-18 lead after the first period.
The Cavs scored the first seven of the second period, cutting the Milwaukee lead to 31-25. George Hill, traded last week from Cleveland to Milwaukee, finally got the Bucks on the board in the second with a layup, which ignited a 10-2 spurt to put the Bucks up 41-27.
Bledsoe hit two 3s, Lopez connected on another and the lead was 51-30 with 5:20 remaining in the half.
Milwaukee is now 4-0 on the second game of back-to-backs this season. The Bucks were coming off an impressive road win on Sunday over the Toronto Raptors, the team with the best record in the NBA.
The two teams play again on Friday night in Cleveland.
--Field Level Media
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds in just 19 minutes as the Milwaukee Bucks remained undefeated with a 113-91 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Milwaukee's 6-0 start is the team's best since the 1971-72 squad led by future Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson opened the season with seven straight wins the year after winning the franchise's only NBA championship.
The Bucks host the NBA's only other undefeated team, the Toronto Raptors (6-0), on Monday night.
Khris Middleton had 18 points and seven rebounds, Malcolm Brogdon scored 16 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 15 points off the bench for the Bucks, who shot 50 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Magic, 57-42.
Ersan Ilyasova finished with 10 rebounds and six assists, both game highs.
Nikola Vucevic led Orlando, which shot just 32.7 percent from the floor, with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Milwaukee, playing its first back-to-back of the season and coming off a 125-95 blowout win at Minnesota, showed no signs of sluggishness, shooting 60 percent from the floor, blocking five shots and using a 10-5 run to close out the first quarter to take a 30-25 lead.
The Bucks, who lead the NBA with a 66.8 point first-half scoring average, stretched the lead to 14 after a steal and step-back jumper by Eric Bledsoe with 3:18 to go in the second quarter en route to a 65-51 halftime lead.
With Antetokounmpo in the locker room getting treated for a cut lip from an Aaron Gordon elbow to start the second half, Milwaukee still extended its lead to 18 points, 75-57, on a pair of Bledsoe free throws in the third quarter.
Orlando got as close as 15 points, 82-67, after a 3-pointer by Evan Fournier, but the Bucks broke the game open with an 11-0 run featuring a pair of alley-oop dunks by DiVincenzo and John Henson and a 3-pointer by Middleton to lead 93-68 after three quarters.
Antetokounmpo returned to score four points in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee's lead ballooned to 29 points.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
