Giannis triple-double fuels Bucks, Harden powers Nets
- "It's a tough drive. So it's great individual defence and it was a big stop and much needed."
LOS ANGELES: Giannis Antetokounmpo's triple-double of 33 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists propelled the Milwaukee bucks to a 125-119 NBA victory over Washington on Saturday, despite Russell Westbrook's 42-point triple-double for the Wizards.
Westbrook added 10 rebounds and 12 assists for Washington, but even with his league-leading 11th triple-double of the season the Wizards missed the production of NBA leading scorer Bradley Beal, who sat out with a sore knee.
Jrue Holiday added 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for Milwaukee as the Bucks held on in the back-and-forth battle despite a fierce late challenge from the Wizards, who knotted the score at 119-119 with 41 seconds remaining.
Milwaukee's Khris Middleton made two free throws with 32.9 seconds to play then forced a driving Westbrook into a miss with 25 seconds left.
"No doubt, that's the game right there," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "You talk about wanting to win a game with stops and that's what we were able to do. I thought Khris was vertical, showed his hands.
"It's a tough drive. So it's great individual defence and it was a big stop and much needed."
On the other end, Middleton drained two more free throws to help the Bucks seal the win.
Antetokounmpo's triple-double was his second straight and his sixth of the season. He was just one of eight Bucks players to score in double figures as Milwaukee won their third straight and solidify their hold on third place in the East behind the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets -- who beat the Detroit Pistons 100-95 on Saturday.
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