WASHINGTON (AP) — Keshawn George scored 23 points, Alex Sarr had 16 points and 17 rebounds, and the Washington Wizards beat the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 109-99 on Thursday night.
Amid swirling trade rumors, Milwaukee’s two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second straight game with a calf strain.
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Khris Middleton and Bub Carrington each contributed 13 points for Washington, which won its second straight game with a 61-43 rebound advantage.
Myles Turner had 21 points and 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, which has lost four straight and seventh in its last eight games.
Bobby Portis Jr. and Kyle Porter each added 19 points for the Bucks, who started the day ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference and four games away from the final play-in spot.
Wizards rookie Trae Johnson sprained his left ankle while making a jump shot with 11:10 left in the second quarter. He left the game about three minutes later and did not return.
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Washington led by 18 points in the second quarter and led 57-43 at halftime. The Wizards held the Bucks to 34.6 percent shooting from the field and 21.7 percent from three-point range, their stingiest defensive first half of the season.
At the end of the fourth quarter, Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins hit a three-pointer, and Kuzma then turned and hit a jumper to tie the score to three points, but at the end of the fourth quarter, the team still led by eight points. A few rounds later, with 1 minute and 30 seconds left, Turner made a three-pointer from Kuzma to make the score 101-99.
Sarr responded with a run, Carrington and Bilal Koulibaly each made two free throws, and the Wizards held the Bucks scoreless over the final four possessions.
Next
Bucks: Visit Boston on Sunday.
Wizards: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
