MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists as the Milwaukee Bucks remained unbeaten with a 119-108 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Antetokounmpo scored nine points during an 18-0 run that gave the Bucks a 24-point lead in the third quarter. The Knicks got the margin down to nine in the final two minutes but couldn’t get any closer.
Milwaukee (4-0) is the NBA’s last remaining unbeaten team as the Bucks are capitalizing on an early season-high, six-game homestand. The Bucks have beaten Houston, Brooklyn and New York at Fiserv Forum after opening the season with a victory at Philadelphia.
Antetokounmpo scored 44 points against the Rockets and 43 against the Nets, giving the two-time MVP his highest career point total for a two-game stretch. He didn’t score quite as much Friday but was an assist away from his 30th career triple-double while leading seven Bucks in double figures.
Brook Lopez had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, while Bobby Portis had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Grayson Allen scored 17 points, Jrue Holiday 16, Jevon Carter 14 and George Hill 12.
RJ Barrett scored 20 and Julius Randle had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who also had seven players in double figures. Immanuel Quickley had 14, Jalen Brunson 13, Derrick Rose 12 and Evan Fournier and Obi Toppin 11 apiece.
The Knicks’ only lead came in the final minute of the first quarter when Quickley hit a 3-pointer to give New York a 24-22 edge. The Bucks tied it on Antetokounmpo’s dunk and pulled back ahead when Portis converted a tip-in at the first-quarter buzzer.
Milwaukee broke it open by scoring 18 straight points to grab a 90-66 lead in the third quarter.
New York outscored Milwaukee 19-6 for the rest of that period to get the margin down to 11. The Knicks continued to hang around for much of the fourth quarter, though they couldn’t get the margin into single digits until Brunson’s free throw made it 115-106 with 1:57 left.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Quentin Grimes remains out with a sore left foot and still hasn’t played this season. … Coach Tom Thibodeau says he isn’t concerned over Barrett’s slow start from 3-point range. Barrett is 4 of 28 from 3-point range this season, including 1 of 7 on Friday. “We’ve been down this road before with him,” Thibodeau said before the game. “He usually starts slowly. He’ll get there.” … Brunson appeared to beat the halftime buzzer with a shot from over 50 feet away, but the basket was overturned after replays showed time ran out just before the ball left his hands.
Bucks: Carter had eight points by halftime Friday. He had scored a total of seven points in the Bucks’ first three games. … Allen went 4 of 6 on 3-pointers. He was 5 of 19 from 3-point range before Friday. … The Bucks continue to play without Khris Middleton (wrist), Pat Connaughton (calf) and Joe Ingles (knee). … This marked the first time Milwaukee wore its “Light It Up” classic uniform, a version of the purple gear the Bucks used regularly for portions of the 1990s and 2000s.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Cleveland on Sunday. The Cavaliers swept all three meetings with the Knicks last season.
Bucks: Host Atlanta on Saturday. This will mark the first time this season the Bucks have played on back-to-back nights.
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