Milwaukee Bucks snap losing streak with Utah Jazz rout
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Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots over Patty Mills of the Utah Jazz during the first half at Fiserv Forum.
PHOTO: AFP
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MILWAUKEE – Damian Lillard hailed the Milwaukee Bucks’ “right mentality”, as he scored 34 points to snap a run of six straight defeats to bag their first home win of the season with a 123-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on Nov 7.
He rattled in four three-pointers and shot 12 of 22 from the field en route to his third straight over-30 point National Basketball Association (NBA) game to help Milwaukee claim only their first win since their season-opening victory against the Philadelphia 76ers in October.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 31 points with 16 rebounds, while Bobby Portis bagged 19 off the bench.
Utah had looked ready to compound Milwaukee’s problems after taking a 61-57 half-time lead at the Fiserv Forum.
But the Bucks finally clicked into gear with a devastating third-quarter performance, outscoring Utah 31-16 to build what turned out to be an insurmountable lead, as they finally gave their home fans something to cheer about.
“It feels great,” Lillard said.
“Getting off to a rough start, it’s easy to get down on yourself and start to panic a little bit and worry.
“Tonight we just came out with the right mentality. They hit some threes, but we stuck with it, shared the ball and finally we caught our stride and take over the game.
“We just got to be able to use this as momentum going forward.”
Elsewhere, the Minnesota Timberwolves scored a 135-119 blowout of the Chicago Bulls on the road, while the San Antonio Spurs proved too strong for the Portland Trail Blazers, winning 118-105.
In Chicago, Anthony Edwards sparked the Timberwolves to a come-from-behind win, scoring 33 points, including five three-pointers with eight rebounds and six assists.
The Bulls had dominated for long periods, leading the game from early in the first quarter until midway through the fourth. But Minnesota erupted to devastating effect in the final period, turning the game on its head after outscoring Chicago 45-24 to cruise home.
Six Timberwolves players finished in double figures, with Julius Randle delivering 22 points and Rudy Gobert 21.
French international Gobert saluted Edwards’ decisive contribution. “Every year his playmaking has got better and better, and now this is the year I feel like he’s really able to see what’s happening on the floor,” he said.
“It’s just on me to get him open or get open myself and finish the play.”
Nikola Vucevic led Chicago’s scorers with 25 points, with Coby White adding 24.
In San Antonio, eight Spurs players tallied double-digit points totals in their victory over Portland.
They took to the floor once again without the presence of legendary coach Gregg Popovich, who was taken ill last weekend with an unspecified health issue.
In other news, Bronny James, the 20-year-old son of NBA superstar LeBron James, has been assigned by the Los Angeles Lakers to their G-League developmental squad, the franchise announced.
The move will break up the only father-son duo in the same team in NBA history, with James and his famous father, 39-year-old four-time NBA champion LeBron, having played on the court together for the first time on Oct 22 in a historic Lakers home victory over Minnesota. AFP
