MILWAUKEE (AP) – Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points while Bobby Portis finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Golden State Warriors 128-111 Tuesday night in a matchup of the NBA’s last two champions.
Stephen Curry scored 20 points despite missing seven of 10 three-point attempts. Jordan Poole added 18 and Klay Thompson 14 for Golden State.
The Warriors dropped their third straight road game and fell to 2-12 away from home this season. The defending NBA champions have allowed at least 114 points in every road game this season.
“Our defence has been bad on the road,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “For whatever reason, the splits are dramatic. Our defense is good at home and bad on the road.”
Looking to bounce back from a Sunday night loss at Houston in which they were held to 92 points – their second-lowest total in a game this season – the Bucks made 45 of 82 shots (54.9 per cent).
Portis scored six points and grabbed a pair of rebounds during his first three minutes on the floor, sparking a 16-6 run that helped the Bucks take a 38-27 lead after one quarter.
“Offensively, we needed to find somebody and he really stepped up,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It helped set the tone for our big guys on both ends of the court.”
The Warriors trailed 64-52 at the break. Golden State stayed close by making 11 3s in the opening half, and hit 20 of 50 three-point tries in the game.
An 8-2 run to open the second half helped Milwaukee create some separation. Khris Middleton pushed the Bucks’ lead to 21 with a three-pointer with 7:05 left in the quarter.
“It’s fun to play in games like that,” Portis said. “It’s fun to go out there and compete against the best.”
A fan was ejected following a complaint by Warriors star Draymond Green, and the Bucks said they are investigating the incident and consulting with the NBA. Security personnel removed the man, who was sitting a few rows beyond the baseline, during a stop in play with 5:19 left in the third quarter.
The fan said “some threatening stuff to my life,” Green said.
“I was this close to really going back and diving all the way in, but just went back and told the official. And when I told the official, he said, he’s got to get out of here.
“You just hope it gets to the point to where these leagues can work with legislators to implement laws, because that’s the only thing that’s going to ultimately correct the issue, is if you know something real is going to happen to you,” Green said.
“Under the referee’s discretion, we are investigating the situation and we are conferring with the NBA,” the Bucks said in a statement.
GIANNIS’ MANY MINUTES
Antetokounmpo was in the game for 29 minutes and has now played 22,113 minutes in a Bucks uniform, more than any other player in franchise history. He passed Bob Dandridge, who had 22,094.
“Playing the most minutes in a Bucks jersey ever, that’s huge,” Antetokounmpo said. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, when you feel like you’ve contributed to a team, to the history of this team, it’s an honor. It’s a great accomplishment.”
The 28-year-old also holds the all-time franchise mark in points, blocks, free throws and triple-doubles while ranking second in field goals, assists and rebounds and third in games played, steals and free throw percentage.
