Bucks overcome Antetokounmpo’s foul trouble and hold on for a 104-101 victory over Wizards
WASHINGTON — — Kyle Kuzma scored 19 points in his return to Washington, and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foul trouble to beat the Wizards 104-101 on Friday night.
Kuzma was traded from Washington to Milwaukee earlier this month. Khris Middleton went to the Wizards in that deal, and he finally played for his new team for the first time, scoring 12 points. Marcus Smart — acquired by Washington from Memphis — also made his Wizards debut and scored five.
The game came down to a desperation 3-point attempt by Middleton in the final seconds that missed badly.
Antetokounmpo scored 18 points in limited playing time before fouling out with 3:36 remaining. He picked up two early fouls in the first, and his fourth came with with 8:11 left in the third. Milwaukee left him in until he was whistled for foul No. 5 with 5:41 to go in the third.
That foul led to two Washington free throws that cut Milwaukee’s lead to five. Antetokounmpo sat out for the next 11:59, and when he finally returned the lead was 11.
Rookie Alex Sarr scored a career-high 22 points for Washington.
Take
aways
Bucks: This was the Bucks’ first game since losing Bobby Portis Jr. to a drug suspension. The Bucks were also without Damian Lillard (hamstring) and with Antetokounmpo in foul trouble, it wasn’t a shock that this game was a struggle.
Wizards: NBA-worst Washington stayed competitive despite woeful shooting nights by Kyshawn George (1 of 11) and Jordan Poole (3 of 11).
Key moment
With Milwaukee clinging to a one-point lead, Brook Lopez drew a foul call with 38.5 seconds left and made both free throws to make it 104-101.
Key stat
Milwaukee outscored Washington 50-34 in the paint.
Up next
Both teams are back in action Sunday. Milwaukee hosts Miami and the Wizards play at Orlando.
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MIL wins 3-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | 19 | 31 | 34 | 20 | 104 |
| WSH | 32 | 24 | 19 | 26 | 101 |
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 46 | 10 | .821 | – | W6 |
| Indiana | 31 | 23 | .574 | 14 | W2 |
| Milwaukee | 31 | 24 | .564 | 14.5 | W3 |
| Detroit | 29 | 26 | .527 | 16.5 | W4 |
| Chicago | 22 | 34 | .393 | 24 | L5 |
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 28 | 30 | .483 | – | L1 |
| Miami | 26 | 28 | .481 | – | W1 |
| Atlanta | 26 | 30 | .464 | 1 | L2 |
| Charlotte | 14 | 40 | .259 | 12 | L1 |
| Washington | 9 | 46 | .164 | 17.5 | L5 |
Brook Lopez helps short-handed Bucks get past Wizards
The short-handed Milwaukee Bucks weathered a sluggish start and a game-ending, seven-minute field-goal drought to score their second win in as many nights, beating the host Washington Wizards 104-101 on Friday.
Milwaukee, coming into Friday’s contest already down Bobby Portis due to a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy, scratched Damian Lillard shortly before tipoff to manage a lingering hamstring injury.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo under a playing-time restriction to avoid aggravating a calf injury, the Bucks struggled to find scoring options in the fourth quarter. Milwaukee saw a lead of as many as 15 points in the final period whittled to one when former Buck Khris Middleton sank a 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining.
Brook Lopez’s four free throws in the final two minutes were all that kept Milwaukee from giving up the lead entirely.
Lopez finished with 18 points and nine rebounds to help carry the load with Lillard out and Antetokounmpo playing just 19:18. Antetokounmpo added 18 points in his limited floor time, while former Wizard Kyle Kuzma — acquired in the trade that sent Middleton to Washington — led the Bucks with 19 points. Kuzma also grabbed eight rebounds and dished five assists.
Wizards rookie Alex Sarr led all scorers with 22 points, and Corey Kispert came off the bench to knock down 4 of 7 3-point attempts en route to 16 points. Middleton finished with 12 points against his former team.
Kyshawn George matched game highs with nine rebounds and five assists. Jordan Poole dished five assists to go with his 11 points for the Wizards.
After Lopez’s late free throws, he also rejected a Middleton layup attempt at the rim with 33 seconds remaining. The swat gave Milwaukee possession and the opportunity to chew precious clock, forcing Washington into a rushed final possession.
Coming out of a timeout with five seconds remaining, Middleton forced up a would-be game-tying 3-point attempt under pressure, which was no good.
The Wizards led 32-19 after one quarter and were ahead by as many as 16 during the first half before the Bucks clawed back.
–Field Level Media
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Wizards vs. Bucks odds, score prediction, spread, time: 2025 NBA picks, Feb. 21 best bets from proven model
We’ve got another exciting Eastern Conference matchup on Friday’s NBA schedule as the Washington Wizards will host the Milwaukee Bucks. Washington is 9-45 overall and 5-24 at home, while Milwaukee is 30-24 overall and 11-15 on the road. The Bucks have won both meetings between the teams this season. Milwaukee is 25-29-1 against the spread (ATS) in the 2024-25 NBA season, while Washington is 23-30-1 versus the number.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Milwaukee is favored by 5.5 points in the latest Bucks vs. Wizards odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 229.5 points. Before entering any Wizards vs. Bucks picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters the second half of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-104 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-9 (67%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Milwaukee vs. Washington. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Bucks vs. Wizards:
The Wizards fell to the Pacers 134-130 last Friday as Washington was up 78-59 in the third but couldn’t hold on to the lead. Jordan Poole put forth a good effort for the losing side as he posted 42 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds. Poole has been on a heater as of late as he’s averaging 31 points, five rebounds and five assists over his last four games.
He has a great chance to produce similar numbers on Friday, as Poole had games of 31 points and 26 points in his earlier meetings with Milwaukee this season. The Bucks have some holes, defensively, as they allow the sixth-most 3-pointers per game and fourth-most rebounds per night. Washington also gets to face a Milwaukee team on the second night of a back-to-back and one that will be without Bobby Portis, who was just suspended for 25 games. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Meanwhile, the Bucks didn’t have too much breathing room in their contest against the Clippers on Thursday, but they still walked away with a 116-110 win. Milwaukee was down 93-80 with 10:55 left in the fourth quarter but it still came back for the handy six-point victory. Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead the Bucks to victory, but perhaps none more so than Brook Lopez, who went 8 for 14 en route to 22 points plus seven rebounds and four blocks. All five Bucks starters had at least 13 points and seven rebounds in a true team effort.
The Bucks boast the No. 2 shooting team in the NBA in regards to 3-point percentage, while the team ranks seventh overall in field goal percentage. Kyle Kuzma, who was just traded from Washington to Milwaukee, struggled in his first couple of games with the Bucks, but he’s averaging 17.7 points and 8.7 rebounds over his last three games in a Bucks jersey. He, and others, should be able to easily exploit a Wizards defense which is undoubtedly the worst in the NBA, ranking last in defensive rating, points allowed, and 3-pointers allowed per game. See which team to back at SportsLine.
The model has simulated Bucks vs. Wizards 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, projecting 224 combined points, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits over 50% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Wizards vs. Bucks on Friday, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Bucks vs. Wizards spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
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