NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo scores career-high 55, carries Bucks over Wizards
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks takes the court for a game against the Washington Wizards at Fiserv Forum on January 03, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the visiting Washington Wizards 123-113 on Tuesday.
With Antetokounmpo out of the lineup on Sunday due to a knee ailment, Milwaukee dropped the first of two straight home games against Washington. However, the two-time Most Valuable Player returned in top form on Tuesday.
Article continues after this advertisementHis fourth career 50-plus-point game came on 20-of-33 shooting from the floor and 15-of-16 at the free-throw line. Antetokounmpo attempted all but one of the Bucks’ foul shots.
55 PTS (career high)
10 REB
7 AST
20-33 FGM
15-16 FTM@Giannis_An34's career night and third-straight 40-point game powers the @Bucks! pic.twitter.com/C04P9yfXUh— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2023
Coming into the contest, Antetokounmpo and teammate Bobby Portis were tied for third-most double-doubles in the NBA with 21 each. Portis kept pace with his fellow Buck, coming off the bench for 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Article continues after this advertisementMilwaukee’s Brook Lopez shot 10 of 13 from the floor en route to 21 points and got in on the double-double action with 12 rebounds. He also matched a season high with six blocked shots.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 22 points, and he grabbed nine rebounds. Kyle Kuzma added 20 points, and Daniel Gafford had 11 points and 12 boards.
Washington’s Bradley Beal scored eight points in 13:18 before his night ended in the second quarter due to a hamstring injury.
The win was just the Bucks’ second in the past seven outings. Conversely, Washington saw its five-game winning streak end.
The Wizards fell behind late in the first quarter and were left playing catch-up much of the way, trailing by as many as 14 points. Milwaukee never trailed in the second half.
Washington shot just 8 of 27 (29.6 percent) from 3-point range and 42 of 97 (43.3 percent) from the floor overall. Milwaukee hit 11 of 40 (27.5 percent) from long distance and 48 of 100 from the field.
The Wizards had held opponents to an average of 107.8 points over the previous nine games. The Bucks topped 120 points for just the second time in seven games.
