Giannis delivers in the clutch
The Milwaukee Bucks were frustrated.
The foul calls weren't going their way, their defense was inconsistent and they just couldn't make any headway in their comeback attempt against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum.
That's when Giannis Antetokounmpo put the team on his back, exorcised his demons at the freethrow line and led a critical, gutsy rally to carry his team to a 135-129 victory to close out a 4-2 home stand and keep the Bucks unbeaten in games following a loss.
Milwaukee's comeback started with 7 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game, trailing the Spurs by 10. That's when Antetokounmpo, who at one point was frustrated enough to near-
ly punt a ball into the stands after an air-balled three-pointer, decided to force the issue inside.
The Bucks had been on the wrong end of the free-throw battle all night, sending the Spurs to the line 28 times in the opening three quarters compared to just 12 trips for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo decided to see if he could get some buckets – or at least some whistles – by attacking the paint.
He did just that, collecting fouls on back-to-back plays and making all four of his free throws. After a three-pointer by Sterling Brown and a response by San Antonio's DeMar DeRozan, who had 34 points, at the other end, Antetokounmpo again found his way to the line, this time getting a layup to fall at the same time.
Antetokounmpo, who finished with 34 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists, ultimately went 10 of 11 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter while scoring 14 of his 34 points in that period. A 66.4% free-throw shooter this season, he went 16 of 20 from the line to help fuel Milwaukee's victory.
But the fourth-quarter comeback wasn't just about him. Brown, who has played sparingly all season, got the nod for critical fourth-quarter minutes and responded with a pair of much-needed three-pointers and a high level of defensive intensity.
Malcolm Brogdon also scored seven of his 23 points in the final period, including a layup high off the window that put the Bucks ahead, 121-120.
Eric Bledsoe, who has had a knack for making big plays late in games this season, also stepped up, assisting on that Brogdon layup, hitting Antetokounmpo for a layup, beating the shot clock for a tough layup with just over a minute left and kicking out a fantastic pass to Brogdon for a dagger threepointer with 8.4 seconds left.
Bledsoe finished with 20 points and a teamhigh 10 assists.
The victory came after the Bucks squandered a 15-point first-quarter lead, losing it almost as soon as they got it and leading only by one heading into the second. From then on the game was played tight, with the Spurs stretching the margin to double digits on a few occasions.
For the Bucks, the win was a critical one, moving them to 5-0 in games immediately after a loss and displaying a level of resolve to claw back at the end after a largely frustrating night – and the second game of a back-to-back at that.