Giannis Drops 33 as Bucks Cruise Past Kyle Kuzma, Wizards

The host Milwaukee Bucks defeated the short-handed Washington Wizards, who were playing without three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, by a 112-98 score Tuesday at Fiserv Forum.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a 33-point, 15-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. He scored 13 fourth-quarter points and led Milwaukee on a 17-2 run down the stretch.

All five Bucks starters scored 10 or more points, with Jrue Holiday posting 22.

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma had 25 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks to lead Washington, which trailed by as many as 17 points but came all the way back and took an 86-83 lead early in the fourth.

Beal, who leads Washington with 23.2 points per game, sat with a sprained left wrist. The team has already confirmed that he will also miss at least one more matchup.

The Bucks got back in the win column to move to 32-21 after suffering one of their worst losses of the year, a 136-100 defeat at home to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The free-falling Wizards have lost six straight to drop to 23-27.

Notable Performances

Wizards F Kyle Kuzma: 25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks

Wizards F/C Montrezl Harrell: 20 points, 5 rebounds

Wizards PG Spencer Dinwiddie: 7 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds

Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo: 33 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists

Bucks G Jrue Holiday: 22 points, 5 rebounds

Bucks C Bobby Portis: 17 points, 7 rebounds

Giannis Takes Over in 4th

Not only did Antetokounmpo score zero first-quarter points, but he didn’t even take a shot until hoisting a 31-foot three-pointer at the buzzer.

The rest of the game was a much different story, with Antetokounmpo adding eight in the second, 12 in the third and 13 more in the fourth.

The final quarter was Antetokounmpo’s finest moment in this game, as his efforts erased Washington’s last-gasp at victory.

The Bucks outscored the Wizards 29-12 in the final 8:15. Antetokounmpo ended up outscoring the Wizards 13-12 by himself during that run.

The two-time NBA MVP got it going with an alley-oop layup followed by a three-point play for a 88-86 edge:

The Wizards cut the lead to 95-94 after a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope three-pointer, but the Bucks proceeded to go on a 17-2 run. Holiday hit a three-pointer, and Bobby Portis made a layup for a 100-94 edge.

After a Kuzma hook shot, Khris Middleton hit a mid-range jumper before Antetokounmpo slashed to the lane for a dunk off a Grayson Allen feed for an eight-point lead:

Antetokounmpo went right back to the rim on the Bucks’ next possession, corralling a Holiday pass and outmuscling Wizards defenders for another slam and a 106-96 edge with 1:23 remaining.

Middleton and Holiday threes provided window dressing to the Bucks’ performance, and with that, Milwaukee got back in the win column as Antetokounmpo’s dominance led his team to victory.

Kuzma, Harrell Keep Wizards Hanging Around

It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see the Bucks steamroll the Wizards. Not only was Milwaukee coming off an ugly defeat that it certainly wanted to erase, but the Wizards were also heading into this game on a brutal five-game losing streak to cap a 13-23 stretch.

Plus, Washington would be without the services of its best player and scorer, creating significant issues when going up against the high-powered, Giannis-led Bucks offense.

The end result shows that the Bucks won by 14 points, but the score differential does not tell the story of this game.

The Wizards were up to the task for much of the first three-plus quarters, with Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell leading the way.

Milwaukee led 43-26 with five minutes remaining in the second quarter, and a blowout was on the table. Kuzma had other ideas, though, following up his own miss to stop the bleeding:

The Wizards trailed 53-40 going into halftime, but Kuzma got it going in the third, scoring 12 points in a 4:02 stretch. This layup got it going:

Harrell then took the baton from Kuzma in the third and fourth quarters. He started it up with a three-point play near the end of the third to slash Milwaukee’s edge to 78-73:

He stayed hot in the fourth, hitting four buckets in the first three minutes. The last one tied the game at 83 before Rui Hachimura nailed a three for an 86-83 Washington edge:

This was a great effort from Kuzma, Harrell and the Wizards, but Giannis and the Bucks were simply too strong in the final minutes.

What’s Next?

The Wizards will visit the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday, with tipoff at 7 p.m. ET.

The Bucks will kick-start a four-game road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday at 10 p.m. in Moda Center.