(Field Level Media) Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their best offensive performance of the season in a 142-129 win over the host Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Antetokounmpo also grabbed 13 boards and dished eight assists. Damian Lillard chipped in 22 points and seven assists while Khris Middleton added 18.
Middleton also made some history tonight, moving into fourth place on the Bucks all-time scoring leaderboard, passing Sidney Moncrief.
Washington was led by Jordan Poole’s best performance as a Wizard, scoring 30 points. Kyle Kuzma added 22 while dishing a game-high 13 assists.
This was a tightly contested game throughout, despite Milwaukee at one point leading by 14 in the second quarter.
The Wizards struggled to shoot early but stayed in the game by scoring down low. They scored 24 of their 27 first quarter points in the paint and finished with an 84-64 advantage in that category.
At the half, Milwaukee led 70-65, thanks in large part to Antetokounmpo having 20 points and eight boards. Notably though, Washington did not commit a turnover in the half and both teams shot over 54% from the field.
Washington then used a strong third quarter, led by 10 points from Kuzma, to trail by just two points going into the final frame.
That is when Milwaukee would finally find some separation.
The Bucks quickly went on a 10-2 run to gain a 7-point edge. They would proceed to grow their lead even more, shooting well from beyond the arc in the quarter and Antetokounmpo continuing to dominate.
The superstar finished his night with his 42nd point, notably his ninth dunk of the night. That capped off another 10-0 run with just over a minute to go and put the game to bed.
Milwaukee wins their fifth in a row while Washington drops their sixth consecutive contest.