Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 of his 34 points in the second half as the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a slow start and earned a 110-103 victory over the host Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
The Bucks hadn’t won in their past six visits to the nation’s capital.
All five Milwaukee starters scored in double figures. Eric Bledsoe finished with 21 points, Khris Middleton had 20, John Henson 11 and Malcolm Brogdon 10. Reserve Tony Snell also scored 10 for the Bucks, who sank 7 of 22 3-point attempts and shot 48.8 percent overall.
Antetokounmpo (12 rebounds) and Henson (11 rebounds) finished with double-doubles.
The Wizards’ starting five all scored in double figures, too, with Bradley Beal’s 20 leading the way. Marcin Gortat had 17 points, and John Wall contributed 16 points and 16 assists. Markieff Morris amassed 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Kelly Oubre Jr. also scored 14.
Washington shot 47.4 percent while going 8 of 21 from distance but saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.
Trailing by 11 late in the second quarter, the Bucks found a burst of energy and closed out on a 14-4 run over the final 2:37, going into halftime tied at 53 after Bledsoe sank two free throws.
Two free throws by Middleton to open the second half gave Milwaukee its first lead of the evening, setting the stage for an entertaining quarter that featured 10 lead changes. Antetokounmpo scored 13 in the third, but the Bucks gave up 10 points on five turnovers allowing the Wizards, who got two 3-pointers from Jodie Meeks over the final two minutes, to take an 85-82 lead into the fourth.
Milwaukee led 92-90 when Matthew Dellavedova drew a flagrant-2 and was ejected. Dellavedova dragged Beal to the ground while Beal tried to drive past the Bucks’ reserve point guard with 7:25 to play.
Beal missed both free throws, and the Wizards came up empty on the ensuing possession.
Antetokounmpo drew his fifth foul with 6:02 to play and went to the bench until the 3:17 mark. He scored four in a 6-0 Milwaukee run that put the Bucks in front for good, and Bledsoe’s 3-pointer with 1:17 left gave Milwaukee a four-point lead.
–Field Level Media
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