Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned following a six-game absence and scored 23 points in 24 minutes as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 116-110 in the NBA on Thursday.
Brook Lopez scored 22 points, Damian Lillard added 15 and Taurean Prince had 14 for Milwaukee, which outscored the Clippers by 15 in the fourth quarter. Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter Jr. chipped in 13 points apiece.
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Milwaukee played without forward Bobby Portis, who was suspended earlier in the day by the NBA for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
After sitting out one game with right knee pain, Antetokounmpo missed the past five games as well as All-Star weekend with a strained left calf. He was on a minutes restriction against the Clippers and rested for much of the fourth quarter as the Bucks gained control in the final minutes, but he still grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
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Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 25 points. James Harden added 24 points, Ivica Zubac had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 15 off the bench.
Norman Powell sat out because of left knee soreness for the Clippers, who tied the game at 104 on Kris Dunn’s 3-pointer with 4:51 left in regulation.
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The Bucks led 112-107 with 58 seconds left after Bogdanovic and Prince exchanged 3-pointers, and Lillard sealed the victory with four straight free throws.
Los Angeles led 29-28 at the end of one period after the teams combined for four 3-pointers in the final 33 seconds, including Kuzma’s 55-foot shot at the buzzer.
Lopez hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 17-5 run and put Milwaukee ahead 49-40 with 4:21 left in the second quarter. Lopez and Kuzma had 11 points apiece in the first half for the Bucks, who led 57-50 at intermission.
The Clippers stormed back in the third quarter, outscoring Milwaukee 39-23 for the period. Porter put up nine points in the final two minutes of the quarter to help the Clippers move ahead 89-80.
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After Harden scored to give Los Angeles a 100-93 lead with 7:12 left in regulation, Lopez capped an 11-1 run with a 3-pointer to put Milwaukee ahead 104-101 with 5:25 to go. –Field Level Media