Bucks show off all weapons
NEW YORK — Khris Middleton scored 24 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo had his first triple-double of the season to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-97 victory over the short-handed New York Knicks on Sunday.
One of seven Bucks in double-digit scoring, Antetokounmpo had 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Bobby Portis Jr. added 19 points, Rodney Hood had 14, Jrue Holliday chipped in 13, Grayson Allen contributed 12 and Pat Connaughton netted
10.
“We’re seeing different guys come in and make plays and make shots,” Allen said. “Different guys are going off each night or there will be stretches when somebody hits some big shots. Tonight it was (Portis) for a stretch, then (Hood) coming in and getting 14 off the bench. That’s huge.”
Milwaukee (18-10) never trailed as it won its second straight game and 10th out of 12 overall.
“We talk a lot about being unselfish and making the right play, having high-iq guys that are willing to make the right pass,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It was a good team effort.”
New York (12-15) has lost three in a row and seven of
10.
In his first NBA start, Quentin Grimes scored 27 for the Knicks and set a team record for the most 3-pointers made in a game by a rookie with seven. Grimes’ 27 points were the most points by a Knicks rookie in a game since 1996-97.
“I always prepare myself for a moment like this,” Grimes said. “But it was definitely a surreal moment, and I was just trying to soak it all in.”
Derrick Rose and Kevin
Knox scored 18 points apiece.
The third of four regular-season matchups between the Eastern Conference franchises reinforced why the Bucks and Knicks exist on significantly different plains in the NBA strata.
Milwaukee came out firing on all cylinders, with the Bucks leading 9-1 4:07 into the game and 26-16 at the end of the first quarter. The lead was stretched to 54-33 after Portis’ 3-point play with 4:28 left in the second quarter. At halftime, Milwaukee had a 61-48 advantage.
Starting swingman R.J. Barrett and key reserve Obi Toppin missed the game because they are in the league’s health and safety protocols, and the team announced before the game that starting point guard Alec Burks was out due to personal reasons.
“Turnovers in the first half really hurt us,” said New York coach Tom Thibodeau, whose team committed
nine turnovers in the first two quarters, which led to 20 points for Milwaukee. “You give a team like that points like that, it’s hard to make up.”
Protocols thin Bulls’ roster to 9
Chicago Bulls star Zach Lavine and backup forward Troy Brown Jr. have entered the NBA’S health and safety protocols, giving Chicago nine players on the list.
The team confirmed that Lavine and Brown joined leading scorer Demar Derozan, Matt Thomas, Coby White, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., Ayo Dosunmu and recently signed Stanley Johnson. That left the Bulls with nine available players. Teams need eight in order to play.
Chicago’s next game is against Detroit at home on Tuesday. Lavine and Brown both played in Saturday’s loss at Miami.
Lavine, a first-time All-star last season and
gold medal winner with the U.S. Olympic team, was seventh in the NBA in scoring at 26 points per game.
Players in the health and safety protocols must be sidelined at least 10 days or record two negative tests in a 24-hour period before they can resume basketball activities.
The NBA listed 21 players in COVID-19 protocol Sunday morning — and nearly half of those players belong to the Bulls.
The entire Bulls roster received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year. Center Nikola Vucevic said after Saturday’s loss to the Miami Heat that most of his teammates have received the booster shot.
Durant fined for obscenity
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for directing obscene language toward a fan during a game in Atlanta.