Washington, Nov. 8 (BUS): Bradley Beal scored 30 points and the Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-94 on Sunday night.
Bale played his second game of the season with at least 30 points. He has averaged over 30 in each of the past two seasons, the AP reports.
Known for most of his career as a leading scorer, Bale felt defense was key tonight, as Washington held the 100-point contender for the second game in a row and third time this season.
“We made it hard for them,” Bell said after the Wizards set the Bucks with a 39% shot.
“I feel like I played a playoff tonight,” Bale later added.
Kyle Kuzma added 15 points and 10 rebounds to help Washington clinch an eight-game losing streak in the series with the Bucks. Montrezel Harrell also scored 15 points, and Daniel Gafford added 11 points.
At 7-3 Washington, it’s her best start since the 2014-15 season.
“I think we were able to combine relatively quickly with a lot of pieces,” said first-year coach Wes Onseld Jr. “There are a lot of questions to ask but for the most part, our guys have been great in our efforts and stuck with what we’re trying to do.”
Giannis Antetokonmo scored 29 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the defending champion Bucks. They lost five of six to go down to 4-6.
Grayson Allen scored 19 points, and Bobby Portis scored 13 points and 13 rebounds, as the Bucks lost their first game in a five-game trip.
Cory Kisbert made a jump with 2:54 left in third giving Washington a 77-67 lead. This was Washington’s first double-digit lead since early in the first. Gavford scored 10 points in the quarter.
Washington led 82-71 after the third. The Wizards shot 56% in the quarter and kept the Bucks to just 33% to break open a home-and-away game that saw seven draws and 18 lead changes.
Milwaukee led 52-49 in the first half despite dropping into a 12-0 hole right to start the game. Washington had 11 spins in the first half and finished with 19.
Hints
Bucks: Antetokounmpo overtook Sydney Moncrief to second on Milwaukee’s assists list with three firsts in the first half and now has 2,691. Paul Bracey is first with 3,272. … Milwaukee’s technical foul was assessed in the second quarter – and a field goal was disallowed – due to a six-man play. … F Khris Middleton, Milwaukee’s second leading scorer, missed his fourth consecutive game after testing positive for COVID-19. Players must sit for at least 10 days after testing positive.
Wizards: Bill missed his only free throw in the game. It was the first time he missed the season after making 35 out of eight matches. …Washington had eight turnovers in the first quarter. …Spencer Dinwiddie scored six points on a 2-of-8 shot but his triple pointer 20 seconds left helped bring the match to an end.
Visit the White House
The Bucks will visit the White House on Monday to celebrate the NBA title.
“It doesn’t happen every day,” Budenholzer said. “I think the players will look forward to it. Tomorrow will be a great memory.”
big minutes
Antetokounmpo played the highest level of the season 39 minutes after which Budenholzer admitted that his star wanted to stay on the ground longer than usual.
Giannis was in that mindset that he wanted to play a lot,” Budenholzer said. “I have to keep him in a good place. I love his soul tonight.”
Honoring the crust
Washington honored major franchise and Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge throughout the game, which included a half-time honor on the video board. Dandridge played for the Washington Bullets for four seasons (1977-1981) and was a key part of the 1978 championship team. Milwaukee drafted Dandridge in 1969 and played nine seasons in total for the Bucks, winning a title in 1971. The 73-year-old Dandridge was honored Into the Hall of Fame in September.
the following
Bucks: In Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Witches: In Cleveland on a Wednesday night.