The Wizards ended with nearly their biggest lead as Thanasis Antetokounmpo got in on the action too. Jordan Nwora entered just past the midpoint, and with this being his first game action in over a week despite all the absences, that felt like throwing in the towel. Without any scoring muscle to speak of, the Bucks went pretty quietly in the fourth quarter. The Wizards’ edge remained the same at 88-70 through three. The teams combined to shoot 17/49 in the period, both only scoring 20 points. Though Washington’s scoring cooled considerably in the third, Milwaukee couldn’t create enough offense to make a dent in their lead.
They managed to dig out of it to an extent as halftime approached by taking advantage of some Washington turnovers, but with scarcely better shotmaking, the visitors still were up big going into the locker room, 68-50. At one point, the Bucks trailed by as many as 26 thanks to continued poor defense and shooting. Rui Hachimura was the next Wizard to start cooking, racking up 13 off the bench in the second quarter. A five-minute stretch with just one make from the field put the Bucks in a sizable hole as the first began winding down, and they trailed 34-17 after one. Brook Lopez and Serge Ibaka both ran into early foul trouble as Daniel Gafford and Kristaps Porzingis feasted inside 16 feet. Even without Bradley Beal, Rui Hachimura (26 points) and the rest of the Wizards scored plenty to counter the piddly offense the Bucks could muster.ĭifficulties protecting the rim and avoiding whistles formed the story for Milwaukee to start, alongside some typically cold shooting (6/23 overall and 3/14 from deep in the first twelve minutes).
Joining the ill Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton in street clothes, Giannis Antetokounmpo was a late scratch due to knee soreness. A very shorthanded Bucks squad saw their shooting woes arise again, falling 118-95 to the visiting Wizards on New Year’s Day.
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