Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 47 points while missing just three shots as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped the Portland Trail Blazers‘ four-game winning streak with a 127-109 victory Friday night.
Jrue Holiday added 22 points and 10 assists for the Bucks, who led by 24 points during the third quarter.
The game featured two of the league’s best scorers: Damian Lillard was averaging 29.8 points, second in the NBA, while Antetokounmpo entered fifth with 28.3.
But Antetokounmpo had the hot hand Friday, making all 18 of his shots inside the 3-point arc. He ties Wilt Chamberlain for the most 2-point field goals made without a miss, according to ESPN’s Stats and Information.
An early 11-0 run helped the Bucks jump to a 19-7 lead. Milwaukee led by 14 points during the opening half, but the Blazers closed the gap to 60-53 before heading into the break.
Lillard’s 3-pointer got Portland within 60-58 early in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks wouldn’t let the Blazers get any closer. Holiday’s basket extended Milwaukee’s lead to 86-70, and the Bucks capped the quarter with an 11-1 run.
The Bucks dominated in the paint all night, and no one more so than the two-time MVP. Antetokounmpo outscored the Trail Blazers 47-46 from two-point range and the free-throw line, the first player ever to accomplish that feat, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Blazers bench struggled, going 0 for 16 from the field through the first three quarters. Anfernee Simons hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth to end the drought.
Milwaukee was coming off a 112-97 victory at the Lakers on Wednesday, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
