NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo dominates Hawks again in Bucks’ win

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points and 16 rebounds and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks ended their two-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Hawks 122-113 on Saturday.

Antetokounmpo was 12-for-22 from the field and 12-for-16 from the free-throw line and added eight assists. It was the league-leading 34th time that Antetokounmpo has recorded 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds.

The Bucks remained No. 2 in the Eastern Conference and expanded their lead over Cleveland to two games. The loss ended Atlanta’s four-game winning streak and left the Hawks in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind Chicago.

The win gave Milwaukee a 2-1 edge in the season series. Antetokounmpo had a combined 94 points and 38 rebounds in the three games against Atlanta.

Milwaukee (47-27) also got 21 points from Khris Middleton and 18 points from Patrick Beverly, who started because Damian Lillard missed the game for personal reasons.

Atlanta (34-40) was led by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 38 points and 10 rebounds, and Dejounte Murray with 20 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.

The Bucks shot 59.1 percent in the first quarter, got 12 points from Middleton and took a 33-28 lead into the second. Milwaukee wound up shooting 51.2 percent for the half, led by as many as 18 points and had a 59-45 lead at the half. Antetokounmpo scored 15 in the opening 24 minutes.

Milwaukee was ahead by as many as 21 in the third and led 89-74 going into the fourth quarter — when Atlanta got back in the game. De’Andre Hunter and Bogdanovic hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 94-89 with 7:44 remaining.

After calling timeout, the Bucks responded with a 3-pointer from Middleton, a steal from Beverly and a 3-pointer from Brook Lopez to restore an 11-point lead. Atlanta never got closer than seven points the rest of the game.

The Hawks play at Chicago on Monday. The Bucks complete their three-game road trip on Tuesday at Washington.

–Field Level Media/Reuters