The Milwaukee Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak behind a dominant performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, defeating the short-handed Phoenix Suns 133-123 on Tuesday night.
Antetokounmpo led the way with 37 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds while shooting 12-of-18 from the field. Milwaukee set a franchise record by hitting 68.9% of its shots, surpassing its previous best of 66.7% set in 1985.
Brook Lopez added 22 points, and Ryan Rollins contributed 23 off the bench as the Bucks (41-34) strengthened their hold on sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They are now just one game behind the fifth-seeded Detroit Pistons.
Phoenix (35-41) played without Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Royce O’Neale, falling further behind in the Western Conference playoff race. Devin Booker tried to carry the load, scoring 39 points with 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Suns’ fourth straight defeat.
Despite their depleted roster, the Suns kept fighting. After trailing by 22 in the second half, Phoenix cut the deficit to 124-120 when Grayson Allen hit a three-pointer with 1:20 left. However, Rollins responded with a three-pointer of his own just 11 seconds later, putting the game out of reach.
Milwaukee’s efficiency from deep also proved critical, as the team knocked down 17-of-29 shots from beyond the arc. Taurean Prince added 16 points, shooting 4-of-5 from three, while Lopez connected on two of his three attempts.
Phoenix struggled to contain the Bucks’ offense without its key defensive pieces. The Suns allowed Milwaukee to score 35 points in the third quarter, which extended the lead to double digits. Grayson Allen, a former Buck, finished with 23 points for Phoenix, while Collin Gillespie chipped in 18.
With the loss, Phoenix fell two games behind the ninth-seeded Dallas Mavericks and 1.5 games behind the 10th-place Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference standings. They will need a strong finish to keep their play-in hopes alive.
