Bucks crank up offense in league-high 40th triumph

Giannis Antetokounmpo called it “a crazy game.” A little too crazy for the All-star. Antetokounmpo scored 43 points,

Eric Bledsoe had 22 points and 11 assists, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Washington Wizards 148-129 on Wednesday for their fifth consecutive victory.

“We were just trading baskets at one point,” said Antetokounmpo, who made 17 of 21 shots and had six rebounds, four assists and three steals. “We’re a good team, but we’re trying to be a great team.

“We were sloppy. Defensively we have to pick it up a little bit because that’s not the face we want to show.”

The Bucks (40-13) shot 60 percent and had six scorers in double figures in their highest-scoring game of the season while becoming the first NBA team with 40 victories. Malcolm Brogdon had 18 points and Khris Middleton 16.

At New York, D’angelo Russell hit six of Brooklyn’s 19 3-pointers and totaled 27 points and 11 rebounds as the Nets (29-27) surpassed their win total from last season. Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his 10th triple-double this season for Denver, which trailed by as many as 21 points.

At Sacramento, Calif., James Harden mustered only two free-throw attempts but made eight 3-pointers and totaled 36 points for Houston, which led by as many as 37 points. Buddy Hield had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento, which had won three in a row.

At Oakland, Calif., Kevin Durant had 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in three quarters for Golden State, which made 24 of 25 field goals in a stretch spanning halftime and ultimately shot 57.9 percent. Klay Thompson scored 26 points for the Warriors.

At Salt Lake City, Donovan Mitchell had 21 points and Joe Ingles a career-high 11 assists for Utah, which dealt Phoenix its 12th loss in a row. Josh Jackson scored 27 points for the Suns, who committed 22 turnovers.

At Chicago, Julius Randle scored 31 points for New Orleans, which held out six-time All-star Anthony Davis with the trade deadline looming. Lauri Markkanen had 30 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago.

At Dallas, rookie Luka Doncic missed 15 of 20 shots but totaled 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in his third tripledouble for Dallas. Kemba Walker had 30 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte.