MILWAUKEE (AP) — Damian Lillard had 31 factors and 16 assists and Bobby Portis had 31 factors and 10 rebounds to steer Milwaukee previous the Phoenix Suns 140-129 on Sunday, because the Bucks hit 24 3-pointers to win with out star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo, averaging 30.8 factors and 11.2 rebounds, was out with left hamstring soreness. He missed simply his fourth recreation of the season and first since March 4, when he was out with Achilles tendinitis.
“It’s not an harm, we had been simply involved somewhat bit,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers stated. “Plus, while you take a look at the schedule, you’ve one, two, three, 4, 5 days off. We planted it in him and he needed to do it. We’re completely happy that he determined to do it.”
Phoenix trailed 109-94 after three quarters, however closed inside 122-115 on a lay-in by Bradley Beal with 6:17 left. Lillard’s 3-pointer from the highest left put Milwaukee up 134-120 with 3:18 remaining.
“I simply needed to return out and be in assault mode,” stated Lillard, who grew to become the primary Bucks participant in historical past to have a 30-point, 15-assist recreation. “I didn’t actually suppose to myself I’m going to have to attain a bunch of factors. I simply knew I needed to be an issue for the protection.”
Khris Middleton added 22 factors for Milwaukee in his first recreation again after lacking 16 video games with a sprained left ankle. The Bucks completed 24 of 41 from 3-point vary, with Portis and Malik Beasley hitting 5 apiece.
“I believed it was large, particularly with Giannis being out,” Lillard stated of Middleton’s return. “Any time you’re down your greatest participant and then you definitely add one other weapon to a workforce that’s already down, it’s a pick-me-up simply because we’re excited to have him again.”
Beal had 28 factors, Grayson Allen had 25 factors and Devin Booker scored 23 for Phoenix.
Milwaukee’s 18 first-half 3-pointers matched the NBA document for 3-pointers within the opening half held by the Suns and Utah Jazz.
“They modified their workforce, clearly, with Giannis not being in there, and Dame is an elite attacker that requires you to actually lengthen your protection on him,” Suns coach Frank Vogel stated. “The danger in that’s exposing the 3-point line.”
Portis got here off the bench for 25 first-half factors, hitting 10 of 13 photographs, together with 5 of 5 from past the arc, in slightly below 13 minutes.
Allen’s 3-pointer capped an 11-point run that introduced the Suns inside 93-83 with simply over 4 ½ minutes left within the third quarter. Lillard hit a 3-pointer from the sting of the emblem simply forward of the buzzer to place Milwaukee up 109-94 getting into the ultimate interval.
Milwaukee moved 1 ½ video games forward of Cleveland for the second-best document within the East. Phoenix entered in sixth place within the West, a half-game forward of Sacramento and a recreation in entrance of Dallas.
UP NEXT
Suns: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday evening.
Bucks: Go to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday evening.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA