The Milwaukee Bucks final exhibition tuneup didn’t go quite according to plan, falling 124-102 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night in Florida.
The Bucks jumped out early and led by as many as 13 points in the second quarter before settling for a three-point advantage at halftime.
The game stayed close in the third quarter until Pelicans guard J.J. Redick got hot, scoring all 20 of his points in the final five minutes of the quarter. Redick was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including four three-pointers.
The Bucks trailed by nine entering the fourth quarter and saw the Pelicans pull away. Milwaukee shot just under 40% from the field and 26% from three-point range.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the bright spot for the Bucks, finishing with 30 points on 8 of 15 shooting and 12 of 15 at the free throw line in 23 minutes. He added eight rebounds.
Khris Middleton added 16 points and eight rebounds while Brook Lopez added 10 points and five boards.
The Bucks will resume their season on Friday night with the first of eight seeding games. They’ll take on the Boston Celtics.
