Giannis and Bucks have fun
Milwaukee roll over Oklahoma City with a 47-point victory, Hornets sting Raptors
>> LOS ANGELES: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points as the Milwaukee Bucks won their third game of the season by 40 or more points with a 133-86 demolition of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Antetokounmpo added 13 rebounds and six assists while playing just 27 minutes for the Bucks, who won their fifth straight game since the all-star break.
“It feels good. It feels good seeing other guys going out there, playing hard and being up 40 points, sitting on the bench, relaxing, having fun,” Antetokounmpo said. “Everyone is smiling. Games like these are always the best games.
“We were extremely ready. We moved the ball. We were defending. We know that in the fourth quarter, they always come back to the game. We never relaxed.”
The 47-point victory narrowly missed being the biggest margin in the league this season, but the Bucks have now tied the NBA record for most 40 plus wins in a season with three.
In November, the Los Angeles Clippers beat Atlanta by 49 points.
Milwaukee used a five-minute stretch in the second quarter to seize control of the game, going on a 24-2 run. The Bucks already led 46-43 before the run.
They drained a season high 21 three-pointers in the win. Wesley Matthews and Pat Connaughton each nailed four from behind the arc. Milwaukee dominated on the glass as well, outrebounding the Thunder 66-36.
Chris Paul, who scored 18 points for Oklahoma City, called it a spanking.
“We got a lot of really good looks, but our defence and our rebounding wasn’t much tonight,” Paul said. “It’s just an old-fashioned butt-whooping.”
Elsewhere, Terry Rozier made a clutch free throw for the go-ahead basket with two seconds left as the Charlotte Hornets beat the reigning NBA champions Toronto Raptors 99-96.
Rozier finished with 18 points and Devonte’ Graham also scored 18 points for the Hornets, who have won two in a row and handed the Raptors their second straight loss.
Toronto’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson committed a late foul to give the Hornets one free throw and possession of the ball after Rozier made it.
Graham then was fouled and made two free throws with 1.2 seconds to play.
Miles Bridges had 17 points, PJ Washington 15 and Bismack Biyombo 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
Pascal Siakam scored 14 of his 24 points in the third quarter in the loss. He also had nine rebounds.
Norman Powell, who had missed the previous nine games with a broken finger, scored 22.
Kyle Lowry had 21 points and OG Anunoby had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors.
In Los Angeles, Paul George scored a game-high 24 points, and the Clippers hammered Denver 132-103.
George, who struggled offensively in the previous two games with 11 and seven points, connected on 6 of 8 3-pointers and 9 of 15 overall from the floor, as the Clippers won their third straight game.
Kawhi Leonard contributed 19 points, Montrezl Harrell had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Lou Williams finished with 17 points for Los Angeles, who had seven players score in double figures. Williams hit 5 of 7 shots from behind the arc.