Milwaukee Bucks lose to Utah Jazz 132-116 at Fiserv Forum
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Adrian Griffin, Giannis speak on Bucks defense in loss to Rockets
Adrian Griffin, Giannis Antetokounmpo on how the Bucks’ defense contributed to loss to Rockets.
The Milwaukee Bucks came back home after experiencing some turbulence on their 1-2 road trip.
Things got bumpier on Monday night at Fiserv Forum when the Bucks fell into a massive early hole and couldn’t climb out of it in a 132-116 loss to the Utah Jazz.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double with 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Bucks (25-12), who have won just one of their last five games.
Box score: Jazz 132, Bucks 116
The loss to the Jazz (18-20) came in the first of four straight home games for the Bucks.
Milwaukee will also play the Boston Celtics on Thursday, the Golden State Warriors on Saturday and the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
After Antetokounmpo called for more “pride” in the team’s defense, the Bucks again fell into an early hole.
The Jazz shot a scorching 11 for 17 on three-pointers in the first quarter to take a 41-23 lead.
Collin Sexton had three of those triples and scored 11 points for Utah in the opening 12 minutes. He finished with 19.
Utah kept rolling in the second quarter and went into the locker room with a 77-46 advantage.
The Jazz had five players score in double figures in the first half: Kelly Olynyk (10), Sexton (11), Lauri Markkanen (11), Jason Collins (12) and Jordan Clarkson (12).
Antetokounmpo was the only player in double figures for the Bucks with 11 points. Khris Middleton had just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.
The Bucks came out of the locker room with purpose, ripping off a 7-0 run to start the third quarter and prompting a timeout from Jazz coach Will Hardy.
Milwaukee kept chipping away at the big deficit. Bucks coach Adrian Griffin even inserted little-used rookie Chris Livingston, and his layup cut the lead down to 93-80 with 3:37 left in the third quarter. He hit another layup a minute later.
Bobby Portis got the Bucks within single digits when his turnaround jumper made it 97-88.
But Portis missed a jumper with seven seconds left, and Keyonte George raced the other way for a layup that gave the Jazz a 100-90 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee kept getting closer, cutting the deficit to seven points a few times in the fourth quarter.
Middleton’s three-pointer made it 115-108 with 5:26 remaining. Middleton bounced back from his cold start to finish with 23 points.
But the Jazz answered with a jumper from Kris Dunn and a three-pointer from Simone Fontecchio. Markannen hit a three-pointer with 3:08 left and fans in Fiserv Forum started heading for the exits.
Damian Lillard was not in uniform for Monday’s game.
On Sunday night, the Bucks listed Lillard as out for game for personal reasons.
Cameron Payne, Lillard’s backup at point guard, also didn’t play because he is in the concussion protocol. Payne left Saturday’s loss to the Rockets after hitting his head on the court on a hard fall in the third quarter.
Rookie Andre…
Read More: Milwaukee Bucks lose to Utah Jazz 132-116 at Fiserv Forum 2024-01-09 03:13:21