Damian Lillard poured in 34 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 31 as part of a double-double to lift the host Milwaukee Bucks to a 123-100 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
Lillard also dished out seven assists while Antetokounmpo hauled in a game-high 16 rebounds for Milwaukee, which snapped a six-game skid. Bobby Portis netted 19 points in a reserve role for the Bucks.
Jordan Clarkson paced Utah with 18 points off the bench. Collin Sexton paired 14 points with seven assists, Johnny Juzang contributed 12 points and John Collins had 11 as the Jazz got outshot 51.2 percent to 42.9 percent overall.
After Andre Jackson Jr. hit a 3 to cut Milwaukee’s deficit to 61-60 just 48 seconds into the third quarter, neither team led by more than three until Lillard converted a layup and knocked down a trey to give the Bucks a 75-71 edge with 5:01 left in the period.
Keyonte George went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line for Utah before Milwaukee rattled off 12 straight points to open up a commanding 87-72 advantage with 2:06 remaining.
Lillard and Antetokounmpo combined for 22 of the Bucks’ 31 points in the third, which ended with Milwaukee holding an 88-77 lead.
The Bucks were up by at least 11 for the entirety of the fourth.
Milwaukee settled for a 31-29 lead at the end of the first quarter after Clarkson scored six points in the final 33.6 seconds of the frame.
Clarkson then fed Collins for a dunk early in the second quarter, with Collins getting fouled on the play and sinking the ensuing free throw. That ignited an 11-0 run, putting the Jazz up 45-35 with 8:06 to go in the first half.
Back-to-back triples from AJ Green later helped the Bucks build a three-point cushion, but Utah ultimately went into the break ahead 61-57.
The Jazz drained 14 3-pointers over the first 24 minutes of action.
–Field Level Media
Damian Lillard poured in 34 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 31 as part of a double-double to lift the host Milwaukee Bucks to a 123-100 win over the Utah Jazz…
Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 33 points with eight rebounds and six assists, and Julius Randle added 22 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves rallied past the…
Boopie Miller scored 17 of his game-leading 20 points in the first half to set the tone, and SMU cruised to a 102-73 nonconference victory over Florida A&M on Thursday…
Wolves score 45 points in fourth to rally past Bulls
Boopie Miller steers SMU to rout of Florida A&M
Balanced DePaul overwhelms Prairie View A&M 92-59
New-look Virginia Tech, South Carolina Upstate set to clash