Milwaukee Bucks seek bounce-back NBA performance against struggling Washington Wizards
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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo shoots over Boston Celtics centre Al Horford at TD Garden.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MILWAUKEE – For the second time this week, the Milwaukee Bucks will face the visiting Washington Wizards on Nov 24 (Nov 25, Singapore time), with the game being a National Basketball Association (NBA) in-season tournament match-up.
Both teams are coming off losses. The Bucks lost to the Boston Celtics 119-116 on Nov 22 to end their five-game win streak, while the Wizards suffered a 117-114 defeat by the Charlotte Hornets.
Milwaukee went on multiple late runs against Boston after facing a big deficit. Brook Lopez led with 28 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 and Damian Lillard scored 27.
“It was almost a tale of two games (in two halves). I thought it was Bucks basketball in that second half,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said.
“Our team is resilient and showed some character. I was proud of the team.”
It was not enough for a victory, however – and the same can be said for the struggling Wizards, who fell to their seventh straight defeat when they lost to the Hornets.
Kyle Kuzma led the way for Washington with 28 points. Jordan Poole was not too far behind with 24 points. Daniel Gafford added a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double.
“We didn’t make enough plays late to get it done,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr said. “Pretty good progression, in general, came out very competitive, effort was there.”
It was a bit more of a gut punch than the previous six losses for the Wizards, who led at half-time and had an 81-62 lead late in the third quarter.
Both the Bucks and the Wizards will be hoping that they have learnt lessons and are on track to make amends. This will be the second of three match-ups between these teams. The Bucks won 142-129 in Washington on Nov 20.
Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 29.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Lillard averages 24.8 points and leads with 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals.
Kuzma is averaging a team-leading 23.7 points for the Wizards. Gafford leads with 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Tyus Jones has been the primary creator, averaging 4.9 assists per game.
On the injury front, everyone was available for Milwaukee other than Jae Crowder, who will continue to miss time with an abdominal tear.
Ryan Rollins is listed as day-to-day for Washington and missed the Hornets game due to a knee injury. Wizards guard Delon Wright is out until December also with a knee injury. REUTERS
