Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks throws the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of a game at the Fiserv Forum on January 29, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 50 points and 13 rebounds and the home team Milwaukee Bucks took a 135-110 win over the reeling New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
Jrue Holiday added 17 points and Brook Lopez scored 15 as the Bucks won their fourth straight game. They have averaged 133.3 points over the course of the series.
Giannis is on a MISSION tonight in @Shove victory
50 PTS and 13 REB for his second 50+ PT game of the MONTH! pic.twitter.com/DlmBge1MZ2
– NBA (@NBA) January 30, 2023
Jose Alvarado scored 18 points, Jonas Valanciunas and Trey Murphy III each scored 16 points, Kira Lewis Jr. got 15 points, Herbert Jones Jr. got 11 points, Larry Nance Jr. had 10 points and 12 rebounds and Devonte’ Graham scored 10 points for the Pelicans, who lost their eighth game in a row and 11th game in 16.
Brandon Ingram is sidelined after playing two games after a 29-game absence due to a bruised toe. New Orleans is completing a back-to-back.
The Pelicans started the third inning with their best offensive span of the game. Alvarado had seven points and three assists as New Orleans scored 21 in less than six minutes to close the gap of 18 points at halftime to 77-65.
But Holiday had eight points and three assists as Milwaukee regained control with a 106-88 lead late in the third half. Both teams have scored 44 points in this span.
The Bucks held a comfortable advantage throughout the fourth half and continued to take a 27-point lead thanks to Sandro Mamukelashvili’s late pitch.
Antetokounmpo had three points and an assist as Milwaukee scored the first eight points of the game. After Alvarado made two free throws to score New Orleans’ first, Antetokounmpo shot three in a row for the Bucks as they led 14-2. Valanciunas followed with his first goal for the Pelicans in more than four minutes of the game.
Antetokounmpo took his total to 16 as Milwaukee led 21-12 before his teammates started getting more involved in scoring. Middleton scored seven points before Antetokounmpo made the final shot, giving the Bucks a 37-19 lead at the end of the first half.
New Orleans prevented things from getting worse in the second half as both teams scored 25 points, giving Milwaukee a 62-44 lead at halftime. Antetokounmpo finished the inning with 29 points – one more than the Pelicans’ starters combined – and 10 rebounds.
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