Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a convincing 116-99 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night, ending their seven-game losing streak.
AJ Green added 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc and Bobby Portis added 13 off the bench.
Kevin Porter Jr., who made his return from surgery after a right knee meniscus injury took him out of the Bucks’ opening night game on Oct 22, also added 13 points with six assists as all five Milwaukee starters scored in double digits.
Brooklyn’s losing streak moved to four with the loss. Reserve Danny Wolf led the Nets with a career-high 22 while Jalen Wilson added 13 as the Nets’ bench outscored their starters 63-36. This was the first time Milwaukee has held an opponent under 100 points this season.
The Bucks got off to a good start from beyond the arc, making five of their 10 shots from deep in the first quarter. The Nets were better, however, making 6 of 10 from deep as they went into the second down just 32-29.
Antetokounmpo came alive in the second, making all five of his shots and scoring 12 points as the Bucks dominated the quarter 39-24 and went into halftime up 71-53.
Giannis’ 18 led the game at the break though Wolf was right behind with 17 thanks to making 4 of 5 from deep.
In the third quarter, Antetokounmpo surpassed 21,000 career points, becoming the sixth-youngest player to do so in NBA history (30 years, 358 days). The only players to do so at a younger age are LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan.
The superstar scored 11 more in the third along with nine from Green — all from beyond the arc for the latter — and put this one out of reach as Milwaukee went into the fourth up 99-70.
Milwaukee ended their longest losing streak since eight- and nine-game droughts in the 2013-14 season, Antetokounmpo’s rookie season, when Milwaukee won just 15 games.
