Giannis pours in 38 points, Bucks outlast Pelicans 129-125

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 38 points, Khris Middleton added 31 and the Milwaukee Bucks outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 129-125 on Thursday night.

It was the fourth straight win for the Bucks, who finished their first half of the season in third place in the Eastern Conference.

Zion Williamson scored 34 points and Brandon Ingram added 23 for the Pelicans, who had won two straight.

The Bucks won their previous three games by an average of 17.7 points. In those games, Antetokounmpo averaged 34.7 points, 15 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals.

But Thursday’s game was tight. There were 15 ties and 23 lead changes.

New Orleans took a 125-124 lead with 2:01 to play in the fourth quarter on a layup by Williamson. But after Antetokounmpo hit a jumper and then took a rebound the length of the court for a dunk, Milwaukee led 128-125 when New Orleans called timeout with 1:10 left.

Ingram and former Buck Eric Bledsoe missed 3-pointers and Ingram committed a charge before time ran out.

Antetokounmpo and Williamson showed their knack for getting to the hoop, with their first-quarter performances as evidence. Williamson’s 11 points included a drive past Antetokounmpo to score with a right-hand layup, two dunks and a putback of his own missed dunk. Antetokounmpo’s 13 points included turnaround hook and three layups.

It was the third matchup between the two superstars, with Antetokounmpo outscoring and outrebounding Williamson in both previous matchups.

The teams entered Thursday among the top five in the league in field-goal percentage — with the Bucks ranked second at 48.8%; the Pelicans fifth at 48.3%. But they shot even better than their season averages, with Milwaukee shooting 54.2% and New Orleans 50% from the floor.

The Bucks have generally dominated their opponents in rebounding, entering with a league-leading average of 48.5 per game. But they were outrebounded by the Pelicans 47-42. New Orleans’ Steven Adams had 13 rebounds.

The Bucks prevailed without guard Jrue Holiday for the 10th consecutive game (health/safety protocol). Holiday, who was acquired from New Orleans in a four-team trade in November that sent Bledsoe to New Orleans, is averaging 16.4 points and a league-leading 1.9 steals per game.

TIP-INS

Pelicans: “I haven’t noticed it, I’ve got to be honest, I just haven’t,” coach Stan Van Gundy said about fans being back in NBA arenas. “I don’t know that I ever do, unless you’re in a place that’s absolutely packed and going crazy.”… In the first Pelicans-Bucks meeting of the season, Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Bledsoe and Williamson each finished with 20-plus points, while Adams added 20 rebounds, becoming the first starting lineup to have four players score 20-plus and the fifth starter grab 20-plus rebounds since the Detroit Pistons in January 1992.

Bucks: G Bryn Forbes entered shooting 46.9% from 3-point range and 48.1% from the field, both career highs. … F Bobby Portis entered shooting 50% on 3s, tied for second best in the NBA, and a career-high 54% from the field. … Thursday’s game was the sixth in an eight-game homestand for the Bucks, the second-longest in franchise history.

UP NEXT

Pelicans: At San Antonio on Saturday. The Pelicans beat the Spurs 98-95 in the teams’ first matchup, in New Orleans on Dec. 27, despite shooting 38.3% and 20.8% from 3.

Bucks: Host the Clippers, who are 11-4 on the road, on Sunday. The Bucks last played the Clippers on Dec. 6, 2019, winning 119-91 in Milwaukee.