Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks with 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as they held off the Washington Wizards 135-134. Jrue Holiday added a team-high 29 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds.
Bradley Beal, who had a game-high 42 points on 14-of-24 shooting, hit a 3-pointer right off the inbounds with Bryn Forbes in his grill to make it a one-point game with about five seconds left in regulation, providing the Wizards with a glimmer of hope that they could actually come from behind and pull off this win.
“I had fun,” Beal said on what worked for him on his 42 point night. “I enjoy the game, enjoy being who I am. Enjoy being here.”
On the Bucks’ second inbounds attempt, Russell Westbrook deflected the ball off the inbounds pass to Brook Lopez inside the paint as Garrison Mathews came up with the loose ball and heaved it from well past the half-court line looking like it could go in, but it clanked off the backboard.
Westbrook drew a charge from Antetokounmpo with just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter, as Antetokounmpo exited the game with his sixth foul with the Bucks holding on to a three-point lead. On the other end, Westbrook then came up with a two-handed dunk off Mathews’ feed from behind the half-court line, as Mathews recovered the loose ball after Westbrook’s pass attempt was deflected by Holiday.
From there, it seemed like Washington had just enough momentum to pull away with the victory, but Pat Connaughton drilled 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Milwaukee just the right amount of breathing room they needed.
Westbrook Closing In On History
Westbrook finished the game with 29 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds, which was good enough for his 179th career triple-double. Westbrook is now two triple-doubles away from tying Oscar Robertson for the most in NBA history.
“I’m honored that I was a part of it,” Beal said about Westbrook’s historic chase. “I was a part of some of those assists.”
Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in four of his last five seasons, including this one.
