Giannis Antetokounmpo

Jokic leads Denver in rout of the Bucks

March 3, 2021 By Bill Scott

Nikola Jokic earned his 50th career triple-double with 37 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a 128-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum. Jokic’s triple-double was his ninth of the season.

Jamal Murray added 24 points for the Nuggets, who have won three straight. Denver shot 55.8% from the field in the win.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and eight rebounds while Khris Middleton added 20 points. Giannis had a string of four straight games with at least 35 points come to an end.

The Bucks were held below 100 points for the third time this season and finished 5-3 on their eight-game homestand. Milwaukee returns to action on Thursday night at Memphis.

Bucks rally for fifth straight win

March 1, 2021 By Bill Scott

The Milwaukee Bucks played one of their better defensive games of the season, holding the Los Angeles Clippers in check down the stretch to post a 105-100 win on Sunday at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Bucks finish the game on a 9-0 run to extend their winning streak to five games. The Bucks won for the first time in 11 games this season when trailing after three quarters.

With the Bucks up three, Kawhi Leonard’s potential tying 3-point attempt bounced off the front of the rim. Khris Middleton pulled down the rebound and ice the game with two free throws with 2.1 seconds left to play. Middleton finished with 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the win. [Read more…]

Bucks extend win streak to three

February 24, 2021 By Bill Scott

Giannis Antetokounmpo led seven Milwaukee players in double figures with 37 points as the Bucks knocked off the Minnesota Timberwolves 139-112 on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum. Giannis added eight rebounds and eight assists.

The Timberwolves lost their fifth straight in new coach Chris Finch’s debut. They’ve lost nine of their last 10 games to fall to an NBA-worst 7-25.

The Bucks shot 53.5% from the field overall and made 20 of 42 from 3-point range (47.6%). Bryn Forbes added 23 points off the bench and hit five of nine from distance.

Both teams scored at a brisk pace in the opening quarter with the Bucks leading 38-36 after one period. But the Bucks defense improved in [Read more…]

Antetokounmpo, Middleton lead Bucks past Kings

February 22, 2021 By Bill Scott

The Milwaukee Bucks extended their win streak to two games, knocking off the Sacramento Kings 128-115 on Sunday night at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points and Khris Middleton added 32.

“I thought individually they were good, and they had good moments together,” said Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer. “I thought our defense set the table and we were able to get out and both of them were able to be in attack mode.”

Antetokounmpo made 19 of 24 free throws and added 18 rebounds to lead the Bucks to their ninth straight win against the Kings.

The Bucks scored the first eight points of the third quarter to go up by 22 and led 99-82 heading into the fourth.

Sacramento pulled within 12 points early in the fourth before the Bucks pulled away. Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton, who played his high school basketball at Oshkosh [Read more…]

Bucks losing streak reaches five games

February 19, 2021 By Bill Scott

Norman Powell matched a season high with 29 points and Pascal Siakam added 27 to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 110-96 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks losing streak extended to five years, their longest streak since the 2017 season.

Powell hit 9 of 12 from the field overall, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range and 7 of 8 at the free throw line. It’s the second win in three nights for the Raptors over the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Bucks, before fouling out late in the game. Donte DiVincenzo added 14 points, Khris Middleton had 13, Brook Lopez 12 and Bryn Forbes had 11.

The Bucks trailed by as many as 23 points before closing the gap to 10 but couldn’t get any closer.

The Bucks host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Fiserv Forum on Friday night. They fell to the Thunder 114-109 in Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Giannis is All-Star starter

Before the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo was named an All-Star Game starter for the fifth straight season.

Raptors lose Lowry, beat Bucks

February 17, 2021 By Bill Scott

The Milwaukee Bucks dropped their fourth straight game, falling to the rival Toronto Raptors 124-113 on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but the Raptors held Khris Middleton to just 11 points as the Bucks fell to 16-12 on the season. The Bucks hadn’t lost four straight games previously since the Raptors won four straight in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals, blowing a 2-0 lead in the series.

Toronto played most of the second half without guard Kyle Lowry, who left with a sore ankle. He had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in 22 minutes. Fred VanVleet scored 33 points and Pascal Siakam added 23 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto.

The Bucks were playing their first of eight straight home games and did so with about 250 invited guests and family members of players at Fiserv Forum for the first time this season. They plan to increase that total to 500 when the two teams face each other again on Thursday. Milwaukee will increase the number of fans in a phased process, expanding to 1,800 fans by Sunday.

Pat Connaughton had a season high 20 points and Bobby Portis added 16. Donte DiVincenzo had 12 points and eight assists but hit just 1 of 8 from 3-point range.

Bucks finish road trip with 3-3 record, 3-game losing streak

February 15, 2021 By Bill Scott

Despite a triple-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks ended a 6-game road trip with a 114-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night in Oklahoma City.

Justin Jackson’s long 3-pointer with 14.9 seconds left was the final back-breaker for the Bucks. Jackson had 22 points to lead the Thunder. Al Horford added 20, Lu Dort had 19 and Darius Bazley 18 in the win.

Antetokounmpo had 24 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season. Khris Middleton added 23 and Bobby Portis had 21 for the Bucks, who wrapped up the trip with three straight losses and a 3-3 road trip record.

The Bucks missed 14 of its first 15 shots to start the second quarter and finished the first half by scoring a season low 41 points.

The Bucks return to Milwaukee to play host to the Toronto Raptors at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night.

Suns battle back to beat the Bucks

February 11, 2021 By Bill Scott

Devin Booker poured in 30 points and Chris Paul added 28 points and seven assists to lead the Phoenix Suns to a come-from-behind 125-124 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in NBA action on Wednesday night.

The Suns extended their winning streak to four games, while the Bucks five game winning streak came to an end. Phoenix (15-9) has now won seven of their last eight.

Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in a season-high 47 points, but his 20-foot jumper at the buzzer was off the mark as the Bucks (16-9) finished just short of their sixth straight win. Giannis made 15 of 23 shots from the field and 17 of 21 from the free throw line on the night.

All five Suns starters finished in double figures, including former Badger Frank Kaminsky, who had 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

The Bucks led by as many as 16 points before the Suns took the lead in the fourth quarter. Khris Middleton added 18 points and Bryn Forbes had 17. The Bucks played for the second straight game without Jrue Holiday, who is in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Holiday started the Bucks first 23 games and is averaging 16.4 points a game.

The Bucks are now 3-1 on their 6-game road trip and will head to Salt Lake City to face Utah on Friday night.

Bucks extend win streak to five games

February 9, 2021 By Bill Scott

The Milwaukee Bucks came from behind in the second half to knock off the Denver Nuggets 125-112, extending their winning streak to five games.

The Bucks (16-8) improved their road record to 7-6 and are off to a 3-0 start on their 6-game road trip.

The Bucks played without starting guard Jrue Holiday who was in active due to the league’s health and safety protocols. The team found out about Holiday’s situation in time to cancel the teams shootaround. Holiday will not travel with the Bucks for their game in Phoenix on Wednesday as part of the protocol. There’s no timetable for his return. Bryn Forbes got the start in his place and scored 15 points in the win. [Read more…]

Antetokounmpo named NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week

February 8, 2021 By Bill Scott

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week, leading the Bucks to four straight wins last week.

Antetokounmpo averaged 24 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 61% from the field. He recorded his third triple-double of the season with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 20-point win over the Pacers on Wednesday.

The reigning two-time Most Valuable Player and last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.1 points (8th in NBA) on 56.1% shooting, 11.2 rebounds (8th in NBA), 5.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in his eighth season. He’s logged 15 double-doubles in 22 games this season and is currently one of only two players in the league averaging at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game.

This is the 14th time Antetokounmpo has been named Player of the Week in his career.