Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 63 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks 146-122 on Wednesday (all time AEDT) to advance to the semifinals of the NBA season tournament.
The Bucks advanced to a quarterfinal against the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas on Thursday after pulling away from the Knicks with a devastating third-quarter scoring outburst at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee’s scorers with 35 points while Lillard scored 28 points, including 5 of 7 from three-point range.
Watch an average of 9 NBA regular season games per week LIVE on ESPN, available through Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
Antetokounmpo finished with 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Malik Beasley (18 points), Khris Middleton (14), Bobby Portis (13) and Cameron Payne (12) all had double figures for Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, was encouraged by a display that provided more evidence that the former NBA MVP’s blockbuster partnership with summer rookie Lillard is starting to come to fruition.
“Game after game, we get more comfortable,” Antetokounmpo said of his on-court chemistry with Lillard. “We have a lot of games ahead of us.
“As we play more minutes, we will be more comfortable together. “Sometimes we’re going to play well and sometimes we’re going to play bad, but at the end of the day, I think him and I set the tone for the whole team…we play to win. It’s a good feeling.
Meanwhile, New York was led by Julius Randle with 41 points while Jalen Brunson finished with 24 points.
The Knicks, however, still chased the game after Milwaukee’s scoring spree in the third quarter.
An up-and-down first quarter saw 15 lead changes before Milwaukee took a two-point lead at 37-35, and an equally hard-fought second quarter left the Bucks ahead by just three at the end. break at 75-72.
But the game tilted decisively in Milwaukee’s favor in the third quarter as the Bucks began scoring at will, with Antetokounmpo scoring 13 points to help the top seeds take an unassailable lead.
PG Reaches Three Sparkling GAME-WINNERS | 00:43
A 15-foot jump shot from Portis gave Milwaukee an 18-point advantage with a minute left in the third quarter, and there was no way back for New York.
The Knicks rallied to within nine after Donte DiVincenzo’s layup early in the fourth quarter made it 112-103, but the fightback was short-lived as Beasley’s consecutive three-pointers quickly restored Milwaukee’s double-digit advantage. .
A three-point basket by Payne gave Milwaukee a 20-point lead at 125-105 midway through the fourth quarter and the Bucks stormed home to seal their final four spots.
The win sends Milwaukee into a quarterfinal clash with Indiana on Friday where a spot in Sunday’s finale in Las Vegas will be on the line.
The Western Conference side will wrap up later on Wednesday when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Phoenix Suns for a spot in the final four.
The winner of this game will face the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals on Friday.
