With 84 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton combined, the rested Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Golden State Warriors 129-118 on Saturday night in Wisconsin.
Antetokounmpo led the way with a game-high 33 points. With a game-high 10 assists, Lillard scored 27 points, while Middleton added 24. The Bucks’ only game since Monday was a 33-point romp over the visiting Boston Celtics.
In addition to having three players score 20 points or more on the second night of a road back-to-back without Stephen Curry (rest), the Warriors were led by Jonathan Kuminga, who scored 28. Klay Thompson finished with 21 points, while Brandin Podziemski recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds, tying the game high.
At the halfway point of the third quarter, Thompson’s 3-point shot gave the visitors a 72-65 advantage, extending the Warriors’ lead to as much as seven points. However, the Bucks eventually prevailed for just the third time in their previous seven games thanks to two spurts.
Milwaukee recovered a 75-72 lead less than two minutes after the Warriors had taken a seven-point lead thanks to two Antetokounmpo dunks and back-to-back 3-pointers from Bobby Portis and Damian Lillard in a 10-0 run.
After then, Golden State was able to tie six more times, with Kuminga’s 3-pointer with eight minutes remaining tying the score at 96 all. But Andre Jackson Jr. scored on a dunk, and Antetokounmpo and Middleton responded with three-point plays. With 6:25 remaining, Malik Beasley made a huge 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 107-98 lead and take control of the game.
The Bucks shot 13 for 22, Lillard 9 for 19, and Middleton 10 for 13, making 54.3 percent of their shots.
With 10 points and a game-high tying 10 rebounds, Jackson recorded his second double-double for the Bucks. Brook Lopez, Beasley, and Portis each added 11 points, while Jackson scored 10.
The Warriors, who have lost seven straight, were led by Dario Saric, who finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and a team-high six assists. Trayce Jackson-Davis also scored 12 points for the Warriors.