Giannis Antetokounmpo called it “a crazy game.” A little too crazy for the All-Star.
Antetokounmpo on Wednesday scored 43 points, while Eric Bledsoe had 22 points and 11 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Washington Wizards 148-129 for their fifth consecutive victory.
“I think we were just trading baskets at one point,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re a good team, but we’re trying to be a great team. Even though we scored a lot, we were sloppy. Defensively we have to pick it up a little bit because that’s not the face we want to show.”
Photo: AP
The Bucks shot 60 percent (56 of 93) from the field and placed six players in double figures while becoming the first NBA team with 40 victories.
Malcolm Brogdon had 18 points and Khris Middleton finished with 16.
Washington trailed by as many as 25 in the first half, but closed to 120-113 on Chasson Randle’s layup with 10 minutes, 22 seconds left.
Bledsoe helped finish off the Wizards with 10 points in a quick scoring flurry, including a dunk off a missed free throw by Antetokounmpo.
He made a three-pointer with 7:07 remaining to make it 138-118.
Bledsoe’s electrifying dunk brought a huge reaction from the Fiserv Forum crowd.
“I just saw Brad [Beal] talking to the ref,” Bledsoe said. “That was my chance to sneak in and try to get a rebound. I didn’t know I was going to dunk it. I just tried to make a play.”
Beal led Washington with 30 points, while Thomas Bryant had 26. Jeff Green finished with 22 points for his fourth straight game with 20 or more.
Antetokounmpo went 17 of 21 from the field in Milwaukee’s highest scoring game of the season. He also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals, but he credited Bledsoe for making the difference.
“He’s amazing,” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s been amazing all year. He came in with a defensive mindset. He was in the passing lanes. He made Bradley Beal take tough shots. He gave us the extra energy and we were able to close the game.”
The Bucks (40-13) rolled to 50 points in the first quarter on 20-of-27 shooting. They led 85-65 at the break.
It was the highest scoring quarter of the season for Milwaukee. The halftime total was two shy of the franchise record for points in a half set on March 14, 1979, versus the New Orleans Jazz.
“We shot the ball really well,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We mixed in getting to the basket. It was just the normal stuff. We were playing fast a lot of possessions and they were scoring, too.”
Also on Wednesday, it was:
‧ Warriors 141, Spurs 102
‧ Rockets 127, Kings 101
‧ Nets 135, Nuggets 130
‧ Mavericks 99, Hornets 93
‧ Pelicans 125, Bulls 120
‧ Jazz 116, Suns 88
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