Giannis Antetokounmpo reached the 50-point mark for the third time since the start of January, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a comeback 106-105 win over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
Antetokounmpo grabbed 19 boards in addition to his 54 points on 21-for-39 shooting. Khris Middleton added 16 points off the bench for Milwaukee despite sitting out a majority of the fourth quarter. Newly named All-Star Jrue Holiday scored 12 points and dished out eight assists.
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Norman Powell led the way for Los Angeles, scoring 26 points off the bench on 9-for-16 shooting. Kawhi Leonard added 17 with 11 boards and both Paul George and Marcus Morris Sr. added 16 points. It was the second game in a row Powell scored at least 26 off the bench.
It was a slow start for Milwaukee in this one, scoring just 15 points and trailing by nine after the first quarter — two more than their lowest point total for a single quarter. However, the Bucks went on a 6-0 run to end the quarter and eventually turned that into a 16-1 run to tie the game at 25 in the second quarter.
Still the Bucks trailed by as many as 21 points in the third quarter. But they were able to cut the deficit down to single digits before the end of the quarter, and Antetokounmpo took over in the fourth, scoring 20 of his 54 points in the final frame to close it out.
Despite his play, Antetokounmpo nearly cost Milwaukee the lead in the final seconds. The star threw the ball out of bounds with 15 seconds to go with the Bucks up by one, giving Los Angeles another chance. But Leonard’s would-be game-winning jumper at the buzzer was an airball.
The Bucks win their sixth game in a row with their big three healthy. Next up they’ll host the Miami Heat on Saturday night to close their four-game homestand while the Clippers continue their East Coast road trip, heading to New York City to play the Knicks on Saturday night.
–Field Level Media
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