WITH THEIR 1-2 PUNCH DELIVERING, BUCKS STOP LAKERS
I wanted to be the aggressor out there
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO Bucks forward
MILWAUKEE—Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 47 points and Khris Middleton grabbed a slice of Milwaukee franchise history as the NBA champion Bucks beat the LA Lakers, 109102, on Wednesday.
Antetokounmpo out-muscled a Lakers lineup still missing injured superstar LeBron James, along with Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn.
He set the tone with 17 points in the first quarter and combined with Middleton late to thwart a Lakers rally.
“I wanted to be the aggressor out there,” said Antetokounmpo, whose points total was his highest since he posted 50 in the Bucks’ championship-clinching victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of last season’s NBA Finals.
“I wanted to initiate the contact, get in the paint, make the right play and just play with an edge out there,” added the two-time league Most Valuable Player, who added nine rebounds and three assists with one steal and one blocked shot.
With 29 seconds remaining, he sealed the game with two free throws.
The Lakers had rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit and led, 87-86, with 9:29 left to play.
Middleton, playing in his first game since Oct. 30 after completing COVID-19 protocols, combined with Antetokounmpo for nine straight Bucks points that put Milwaukee up, 95-91.
Middleton’s 16 points included a brace of three-pointers in the fourth quarter that gave Milwaukee the lead for good and tied him with Ray Allen for most in Bucks history with 1,051.
“That’s a very, very special place to be,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think we all just admire what Khris does every night, his ability to shoot, the different ways he gets threes and his kind of consistency and longevity here.”
Talen-Horton Tucker led the Lakers with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Davis, nursing a sore hip in the final period, scored 18 points and Russell Westbrook added 19 points and 15 assists for Los Angeles.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, bounced back from a lopsided loss to Golden State with a 10999 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center.
One night after coach Steve Nash admitted his team wasn’t in the same “category” as the Warriors, James Harden scored 27 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists and Kevin Durant added 23 points for Brooklyn.
The Nets’ 21-point halftime lead was their largest of the season, but the Cavaliers kept the pressure on with a 32-19 third quarter.
The Cavs, led by 25 points from Ricky Rubio, trimmed the deficit to seven points with less than five minutes remaining, but couldn’t get any closer.
Knicks fade
Over at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks were booed by their home fans during a 104-98 loss to the lowly Orlando Magic, who improved to 4-11.
“Disappointed,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after his team surrendered the lead in the final minutes of a game in which they coughed up 18 turnovers. “We have to learn from it and get ready for the next one. But we’re capable of doing a lot better.”
Miami’s Jimmy Butler returned from a three-game absence with a sprained right ankle to lead the short-handed Heat to a 113-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Butler delivered a triple-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists with one blocked shot to help the Heat, who were without Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, notch a third straight win.