Corey Kispert scored 27 points, and Deni Avdija added 23 to help the Washington Wizards defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-113 on Tuesday night, despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s triple-double.
Antetokounmpo had an impressive performance with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, achieving double figures in all three categories by the end of the third quarter. However, it wasn’t enough for Milwaukee, who came into the game with a 2 1/2-game lead over Cleveland for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Jordan Poole contributed 16 points and a career-high 13 assists for Washington, while Jared Butler provided a boost off the bench with 17 points. Tristan Vukcevic, a 7-foot rookie from Serbia recently signed by the Wizards, scored 14 points, surpassing his previous career high of six.
“This is the mindset we need and the aggressiveness we need when facing a team like this, especially a championship team,” Kispert remarked. “I’m proud of everyone who played tonight.”
Despite leading 58-54 at halftime, Washington started the third quarter strongly with a 12-1 run to extend their lead to 15 points. Milwaukee struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 11 of 48 from 3-point range, but managed to hit a few shots towards the end of the third quarter, cutting the deficit to five points.
In the fourth quarter, Milwaukee narrowed the gap to two points, but Washington managed to hold on. Kispert’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 113-106, and although Milwaukee closed the gap to four points, they couldn’t catch up. Anthony Gill’s layup with 8.3 seconds left sealed the victory for Washington.
Milwaukee played without star guard Damian Lillard (right groin strain), while Kyle Kuzma (right heel contusion) was absent for the Wizards. Rivers mentioned that Lillard might return as early as Wednesday night.
The Bucks lost Patrick Beverley in the third quarter after a collision with Poole, resulting in a possible ankle sprain for Beverley.
