Antetokounmpo breaks Bucks’ assists mark, sprains wrist

CHICAGO >> Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Milwaukee’s career assists record before leaving the game because of a sprained right wrist, and the Bucks won their 12th straight, beating the Chicago Bulls 112-100 on Thursday night.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 33 points. Jevon Carter had 22, and Jrue Holiday added 15 points and nine assists.

The Bucks were never seriously threatened. But Antetokounmpo’s injury early in the second quarter cast a cloud over a team that appeared to have so much going for it heading into the All-Star break.

The two-time MVP was hurt trying to block a finger roll attempt by Chicago’s Coby White after the guard drove past him. He jammed his wrist against the stanchion and stayed down grimacing in pain.

Antetokounmpo finished with a season-low two points and three assists, giving him 3,274 over 10 seasons to break Paul Pressey’s record of 3,272 from 1982 to 1990. He also had seven rebounds.

Antetokounmpo matched the assists mark when he fed Lopez for a 3-pointer two minutes into the game and broke it when he passed to Carter for another 3 that bumped

Milwaukee’s lead to 19-10 in the first quarter. He also is the Bucks’ career leader in blocks, triple-doubles, free throws made, free throws attempted and minutes.

The Bulls lost their sixth in a row, their worst skid since dropping six straight in the 2020-21 season. Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 16 rebounds. WIZARDS 114, TIMBERWOLVES 106 >> Bradley Beal had 13 of his 35 points over the final 4 1/2 minutes and Washington overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Minnesota.

Kyle Kuzma — who had 16 points on just 6-for21 shooting — swished a top-of-the-key fadeaway for a 107-106 lead that was Washington’s first of the game with 1:14 to go.

Beal, who topped the 30-point mark for the third time in four games, followed with a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left — after a miss by Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards — to make it 110-106.

Edwards had 18 of his 34 points in the first quarter to help the Timberwolves surge to a 30-10 lead. They were still ahead 99-92 with 4:38 left after three free throws by Kyle Anderson, before Beal hit a wide-open 3-pointer to spark his late surge.

Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves.