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Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hits 40-point mark for eighth time this season
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 46 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 113-97 victory over the host Chicago Bulls on Friday night, March 1 (Saturday, March 2, Manila time).
Antetokounmpo shot 16 of 22 while reaching the 40-point mark for the eighth time this season.
Patrick Beverley scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and fueled his team’s decisive surge as the Bucks won their fifth straight game.
Damian Lillard added 16 points and 7 assists, but was just 4 of 18 from the field for Milwaukee, which never trailed.
Brook Lopez added 12 points and Bobby Portis had 11 points and 9 rebounds for the Bucks.
Coby White paced Chicago with 22 points. Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and 9 rebounds for the Bulls before receiving a flagrant foul 2 and ejection with 9:27 to play.
Ayo Dosunmu added 15 points, DeMar DeRozan had 12 points and 9 assists and Alex Caruso scored 11 points for Chicago, which made 41.9 percent of its field goal attempts and finished 11 of 27 (40.7 percent). ) behind the arc.
The Bucks shot 43% from the field, including 15 of 46 (32.6%) from 3-point range.
Antetokounmpo scored 15 points in the third quarter on 7-of-8 shooting, but Milwaukee’s 14-point halftime lead fell to 10 by the end of the period.
Antetokounmpo made a three-pointer to give the Bucks a 73-58 advantage with 5:43 left in the third, and his dunk two minutes later made it 80-64. However, Chicago finished the period with an 8-2 run to cut its deficit to 82-72.
The Bulls were within 84-76 after two free throws by White with 11:07 left before Beverley scored 10 points during Milwaukee’s 17-0 burst.
Early in the run, AJ Green rolled from the left toward the basket and Vucevic hit him to the ground. The play was reviewed and officials ruled it was excessive conduct and upgraded the foul to end Vucevic’s night.
Green made both free throws to increase Milwaukee’s lead to 90-76. Beverley took over with two triples and two two-point baskets as the Bucks increased the margin to 25 with 6:48 left.
Antetokounmpo had 23 points and 8 rebounds in the first half as Milwaukee led 58-44 at the break. Vucevic scored 15 points at halftime for Chicago.
The Bucks used a 17-4 run in the first quarter to open a 15-point lead before Chicago cut its deficit to 33-24 at the end of the quarter. – Rappler.com
