WASHINGTON (AP) – Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points, making all of his season-high 17 free throws in a perfect night at the line for Milwaukee, and had 10 rebounds to help the NBA-leading Bucks rout the Washington Wizards 131-115 on Saturday night.
Two games ahead of Toronto for the Eastern Conference lead, the Bucks have won three straight, nine of 10 and 20 of 24.
Brook Lopez added 21 points, and Khris Middleton had 20. Starting point guard Eric Bledsoe sat out to rest a sore left Achilles.
The Bucks were 24 of 24 from the free-throw line. They had a 17-2 run late in the second quarter, led by 23 at halftime and 32 early in third quarter. Antetokounmpo scored seven of the last 10 points in big second-quarter run, including a thunderous slam over Jeff Green that led to a three-point play.
Bradley Beal scored 24 points for Washington, Green added 20, and Otto Porter 18. The Wizards are 9-7 since losing All-Star point guard John Wall for the season because of a heel injury.
WAKE-UP SLAM
Wizards point guard Tomas Satoransky brought the home crowd to life early with an emphatic driving dunk over Lopez. That gave Washington a 4-0 lead and prompted Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer to call a timeout with only 45 seconds played.
Satoransky converted the three-point play following the timeout. But the Bucks responded with a 20-6 run to take the lead for good.
TIP-INS:
Bucks: Have six winning streaks of three games or more this season. … Budenholzer hopes Bledsoe’s absence won’t be a long one. “We’ll see today and tomorrow. We play again on Monday. I think it’s the right thing for Eric.”
Wizards: Porter started despite entering the night as a game-time decision with a sprained toe. … Coach Scott Brooks received a technical foul between the first and second quarters.
UP NEXT
Bucks: At Brooklyn on Monday night.
Wizards: Host Atlanta on Monday night.
