Field Level Media
Jan 15, 2021
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 31 points and nine rebounds to propel the host Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player made 14 of 21 shots from the floor, though he sank just 1 of 10 attempts from the free-throw line.
Milwaukee's Khris Middleton drained a pair of pivotal 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to highlight his 25-point performance. He also had eight rebounds and six assists.
Jrue Holiday had 16 points and Brook Lopez added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, who overcame a 12-for-25 effort at the foul line to extend their winning streak to four games. Milwaukee also exacted a bit of revenge after being swept by Dallas in a two-game season series in 2019-20.
Luka Doncic collected 28 points and 13 assists and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 22 points for the Mavericks, who saw their season-high, four-game winning streak come to a halt.
Kristaps Porzingis struggled to find his shot in his second game since returning from offseason knee surgery. The 7-foot-3 star had 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds, but he shot 6 of 19 from the floor, including 2 of 11 in the first half.
James Johnson sank a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 104-103 lead with 3:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. It marked the Mavericks' first advantage since 10-9 early in the first.
Dallas' Willie Cauley-Stein (11 points, 11 rebounds) added a free throw before Middleton drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put Milwaukee on top 109-105 with 1:47 to go. Doncic halved the deficit with a mid-range jumper, but Porzingis' 3-point bid was well off the mark with 10.4 seconds left.
Middleton made a pair of free throws to push Milwaukee's lead to 111-107 with 7.8 seconds left. After Doncic made a layup, Lopez pushed the advantage to 112-109 with 1.6 seconds remaining. Doncic's desperation 3-point attempt was off the mark as time expired.
Antetokounmpo scored 10 points to stake Milwaukee to a 30-23 lead after the first quarter, but the advantage was whittled to two after Wes Iwundu drained a 3-pointer with 1:43 left in the second. Holiday and Middleton each converted wide-open shots from beyond the arc to give the Bucks a 55-47 edge heading into intermission.
--Field Level Media