Portis scores season-high 34 points in place of injured Antetokounmpo as Bucks beat Wizards 112-101

By AP News Published Dec 21, 2024 08:05 pm

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bobby Portis replaced Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup and scored a season-high 34 points, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-101 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

Khris Middleton had 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks, while Portis finished with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Antetokounmpo (back spasms) missed his third game of the season and the Bucks also played again without Damian Lillard (right calf strain) after winning the NBA Cup earlier this week.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said Lillard could play Monday against Chicago.

Rookie Ryan Rollins started at point guard in Lillard’s absence and contributed 14 points in 31 minutes. Center Brook Lopez also had 14 and Gary Trent Jr. had 15 points and seven rebounds.

Middleton played for the second straight night after scoring 14 points in 19 minutes at Cleveland on Friday. He continues to get into shape after missing the first 21 games following offseason surgery on both ankles.

Jordan Poole scored 26 points and Bilal Coulibaly had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Washington.

Takeaways

Wizards: The Wizards shot 72% from the field (13 of 18) in the first quarter but cooled quickly and made just 5 of 21 shots in the second quarter.

Bucks: Portis scored 23 points in the first half on 10-of-12 shooting (3 of 5 on 3s) He finished 14 of 21 and 6 of 9 from 3-point distance.

Key Moment

Middleton had 11 points as part of a 15-2 Bucks run early in the third quarter, giving Milwaukee an 80-58 lead. He sank three 3-pointers and a mid-range jumper in the spurt.

Key Stat

The Wizards committed 19 turnovers, leading to 24 points for the Bucks.

Up Next

The Wizards visit Oklahoma City on Monday and the Bucks will play at Chicago on Monday, the first of two road games against the Bulls during Christmas week.

By CHARLES GARDNER
Associated Press