Giannis Antetokounmpo was forced out of the Bucks’ game against the Heat in the first quarter with a knee problem – but his team still recorded an emphatic 128-99 win
Giannis Antetokounmpo left late in the first quarter with right knee trouble to derail his quick comeback from a sprained wrist, but the Milwaukee Bucks held on to defeat the Miami Heat 128-99 on Friday night for their 13th straight victory.
Antetokounmpo was in the starting lineup just four days after going to New York to have his right wrist examined. The two-time MVP was on the floor late in the first quarter when he passed the ball and immediately motioned towards the bench as the Bucks called a timeout so he could head to the locker room.
Bucks officials said in the second quarter that Antetokounmpo had taken a knee with an opponent and would not return to the game. He had four points, four rebounds and four assists in just six minutes.
The Bucks still haven’t had a hard time extending the longest winning streak in the NBA this season. The Bucks took the lead four minutes into the game and cruised to their most lopsided win of the season.
Jrue Holiday scored 24 points and got perhaps the biggest ovation of the night when scoreboard video caught him joining the crowd to “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys during a timeout late in the fourth. quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks left late in the first quarter with a right knee problem
Holiday also had seven assists and five rebounds while shooting 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
Bobby Portis had 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return from a sprained right collateral ligament that sidelined him for 11 games. Brook Lopez had 17 points, Grayson Allen 16 and Khris Middleton 12.
Jimmy Butler had 23, Bam Adebayo 18, Tyler Hero 14 and Caleb Martin 13 for the Heat, who shot just 9 of 40 on 3-pointers.
Kevin Love and Cody Zeller made their Heat debuts after signing with Miami during the All-Star break. Love, who had reached a buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers, was in the starting lineup but went scoreless in his first appearance in a month.
He had eight rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes. Zeller was playing his first game of the season and had 10 points in 16 minutes.
Jae Crowder, acquired at the trade deadline, made his Bucks debut in 2022-23 and had nine points in 16 minutes. Crowder hadn’t played at all for Phoenix this season as the Suns tried to deal him.