Bucks feed off Antetokounmpo
Cavaliers, Warriors both lose games at home
ATLANTA —Giannis Antetokounmpo was wary of a mid-afternoon tip-off, concerned about a sluggish start for the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Usually in games like this, early game, you come out a little bit lazy, and we’ve done that in the past,” he said. “I wanted to set a good tone.” Took care of that practically by himself. Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Khris Middleton had 27 and the Bucks cruised to a 117-106 victory over the outmanned Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo also had 11 rebounds and five assists. He went 14 for 21 from the field, scoring from all over the floor while helping Milwaukee to its third win in its last four games.
He began the game with 175 points, 53 rebounds and 28 assists, the best start by a player in NBA history through his first five games.
“We came out, and Giannis was really aggressive,” Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “He got us off to a good start offensively and on the defensive end. We followed his lead.”
Dennis Schroder finished with 21 points and Taurean Prince had 17 for Atlanta, which has lost six straight. The Hawks have no inside experience or size this season after letting Paul Millsap and Al Horford leave as free agents and trading Dwight Howard to Charlotte.
Atlanta was outrebounded by 12, never led and trailed by as much as 23 in the second and third.
“They came out with energy. We didn’t match it in the first five minutes,” Schroder said. “In the second half we didn’t a better job defending Antetokounmpo, but we’ve got to play for 48 minutes and be better.”
Antetokounmpo, the NBA’s scoring leader with a 34.7 average, had 13 of Milwaukee’s first 20 points. Coach Jason Kidd rested him until midway through the second quarter, when his hard dunk made it 59-41.
KNICKS 114, CAVALIERS 95: In Cleveland, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 34 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 32 and the Knicks handed the Cavaliers their fourth loss in five games.
Cleveland, which was blown out by Orlando and lost to Brooklyn during this stretch, fell below .500 despite cutting a 19-point deficit to six in the fourth quarter.
“What month is this for me? October? I’m not about to go crazy over it right now. It’s too long of a season. I’ve been a part of this way too many times,” LeBron James said
PISTONS 115, WARRIORS 107: In Oakland, Calif., Stephen Curry and Golden State Warriors got handed a second home defeat at this early stage of the season, as Avery Bradley scored 23 points for Detroit.
The Warriors lost only twice total at Oracle Arena in both their 2015 championship year and again in the 73-win season that followed,
then just five times at home on the way to another title this year.
PACERS 97, SPURS 94: In Indianapolis, Victor Oladipo’s step-back 3-pointer with 10.3 seconds left completed a late Indiana comeback.
The former Indiana University star finished with 23 points and five assists, and Domantas Sabonis added career highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds.
It’s only the third time in 20 games that the Pacers have beaten the Spurs.
NUGGETS 124, NETS 111: In New York, Jamal Murray scored 26 points, Nikola Jokic
had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Denver beat Brooklyn.
WIZARDS 110, KINGS 83: In Sacramento, Calif., John Wall scored 11 of his 19 points in the first quarter and had nine assists, Otto Porter Jr. had 16 points and Washington beat Sacramento.
HORNETS 120, MAGIC 113: In Charlotte, N.C., Kemba Walker had 34 points and 10 assists, and the Hornets snapped Orlando’s three-game win streak.
Walker was 15 of 25 from the field and chipped in with six rebounds.