Holiday scored 24 points and Middleton had 44. The Bucks won their fourth consecutive win by beating the Phoenix Suns on Sunday 132-122.
Holiday scored 17 points, while Middleton had 16. The Bucks beat the Suns by 12-1 in the final three minutes. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they are the first Bucks teammates who have scored at least 15 points in the fourth quarter of the same game in each of the past 25 seasons.
Holiday stated, “We love playing in these types of games.” They’re a great team. We know what it takes to win, especially in times like these.
The Bucks won their fourth consecutive overall win and third in five days. Milwaukee defeated the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat 120 119 on Wednesday night, and Chicago was defeated 118 112 on Friday night . Then they knocked off the Suns who have the NBA’s most successful record.
Milwaukee erased a 14 point deficit in the last six minutes of Heat play and was trailing the Bulls by seven at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Middleton stated that they are just trying to get in touch a bit more. Middleton said that they have discussed it many times before, when we had lapses and such. We are trying to dial in and be our best for the 48 minutes that we have left.
The Suns were making their first visit since Antetokounmpo scored 50 in a Game 6 win, which gave the Bucks their first NBA championship in 50 years. In their only previous matchup this season, The Suns won 131 to 107 in Phoenix on February 10.
Antetokounmpo scored 19 points, had 13 rebounds, and had six assists in just 31 minutes. He was then fouled out with 1:02 left.
“That was a huge statement game for us. “We really wanted that win,” Jae Crowder of Phoenix, who scored 19 points. “I was really disappointed by how the game ended.”
The Suns played without Devin Booker or Chris Paul, their All-Star starting backcourt. Booker was unable to play in his third consecutive game due to safety and health protocols. Paul fractured his right thumb February 16.
Cam Johnson was also missing from Phoenix, two days after scoring 38 points and making a buzzer-beating 3-pointer during a 115-114 win over the New York Knicks.
Deandre Ayton was the Suns’ leading scorer with 30 points. Cam Payne scored 23, Landry Shamet 17, and Mikal Bridges 14.
Serge Ibaka scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Bucks. Grayson Allen had 10 rebounds and Jordan Nwora scored 12 points.
After picking up his fifth foul, Antetokounmpo was leading 107 to102. He went to the bench with 7:40 remaining.
The Bucks outscored Antetokounmpo 18-11 in those four-plus minutes, and had a lead of 120-118 when Antetokounmpo returned with 3:23 left. Holiday and Middleton combined to score 16 of the Bucks 18 points in that stretch.
Antetokounmpo said that both were being aggressive, scoring only one point in quarter four. They took over the fourth quarter offensively as well as defensively.
Crowder hit a 3-pointer to give the Suns a lead with 3:13 remaining. Nwora failed to make a 3-point shot on the Bucks’ next possession. Antetokounmpo recovered the ball and passed it to Nwora. Nwora hit a jumper with 2:52 left to bring Milwaukee back into the lead.
TIP-INS
Suns: Suns lost their chance due to the free-throw disparity. The Bucks won 23 out of 29, while the Suns scored 8 out of 11 free-throw attempts. … The Suns had won four of their regular-season matchups against the Bucks. … Payne scored 23 points, which was his highest score in his career.
Bucks: Wesley Matthews was unable to play because of a sore left hip. Matthews had injured his hamstring at Chicago on Friday. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer stated that they are still trying to figure out the best way to heal it. Serge Ibaka recorded his highest rebound and point totals since February 10, when he was acquired by the Bucks. This was his ninth matchup with the Bucks.
UP NEXT
Suns: Tuesday night at Orlando in the second of three consecutive road games. On February 12, the Suns defeated the Magic 132 to105 in Orlando.
On Tuesday night, the Bucks will be in Oklahoma City. On Nov. 19, the Thunder were defeated by the Bucks 96-89 at Milwaukee.
