Jazz topple Bucks 123-108 with big fourth quarter comeback
SALT LAKE CITY – In a game that featured two lengthy runs by each team, the Utah Jazz had its in the fourth quarter to come from 19 points down and beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 123-108, Sunday night at the Delta Center.
The Utah Jazz snapped a three game losing streak by using a 16-0 run to start the fourth quarter – a streak that it stretched to 21-3 – to outlast the Bucks (33-17), who were playing the second night of a back-to-back.
A Lauri Markkanen three-pointer capped that run for Utah, which gave it a 104-102 lead with 6 minutes, 23 seconds left in the game, and though a Giannis Antetokounmpo basket briefly put the Bucks back in front at 105-104, the momentum was too much to overcome.
In the final 5:37, Utah outscored the Bucks 18-3. In the entire fourth quarter, the Bucks were just 4 of 17 from the floor.
“I think we had great looks,” Bucks guard Malik Beasley said. “I think the offense was good, defense was OK. Not enough to over-panic. Just one of those games, back-to-back, in Utah. I think that we make a couple of those shots, things change. I think we all got great looks, me, Jae (Crowder), Bobby (Portis). Giannis did a great job kicking it out and making the right play. Couldn’t hit any.”
BOX SCORE: Jazz 123, Bucks 108
The Bucks (33-17) led by as many as 19 in the first half thanks to a 14-0 run to start the second quarter – a streak they stretched to 19-2 – to knock the Jazz on its heels. But the Jazz didn’t fold and it looked like the Bucks ran out of gas in the altitude of the Rocky Mountains.
“We couldn’t script better shots,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. “Every shot was wide open, but everything was front rim. Probably should’ve gone to the post more but they were going to double and make us throw out and still would’ve led to a jump shot. Good job by them.”
While the Bucks won their first game under Rivers on Saturday in Dallas, they have lost three of four on the road trip since he took over on the bench on Jan. 29 in Denver. But there is a positive feel in the locker room, particularly because the players believe they are finally building a defensive identity through scheme and continuous effort -- and the tweaks on offense are creating better shot opportunities.
"When everything settle down, we are going to be very, very fine, I really do believe," Antetokounmpo said. "I believe we are trending towards the right direction."
Over the last four games the Bucks have allowed an average of 118 points per game – nearly two full points below their season average heading into the game against the Jazz – and have held their opponents to under 30 points in eight of 16 quarters played.
"I think we've tried to simplify things to make it work for the guys that we have on our team and it's been working," Bobby Portis said. "I think (the things) we've been doing differently has been great and I think we're trending in the right direction."
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard play through injuries
Less than 24 hours after combining for 78 points on an incredible 30-for-39 shooting (76.9%) from the field in Dallas, Bucks star duo Giannis Antetokounmpo (right patella tendinitis) and Damian Lillard (sprained left ankle) hobbled into the Delta Center on Sunday as, essentially, game-time decisions for the Bucks.
Lillard seemed at less than full strength in going 5 for 16 from the field, including 1 for 6 from behind the three-point line, through three quarters – but when he threw down a dunk to end the third quarter he landed and immediately came up limping on that ankle.
The Bucks’ all-star point guard played 38 minutes and scored 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
“We think he’s OK, but he was struggling all game with the ankle,” Rivers said. “I swear there were times I was just gonna take him out. Even in the first half, but his presence was helpful. We didn’t have a lot of bodies.”
Lillard didn't appear to be limping as he exited the arena.
Early on it looked like Antetokounmpo did not have his usual burst against Jazz big men Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, but he did dominate at times. Yet he, too, looked to fall victim to the schedule – and the work load with two late fourth quarter turnovers and a missed layup as the Jazz swarmed him.
“Obviously back-to-back, played a lot of minutes (Saturday) – I think 39, 40 minutes – tough game," Antetokounmpo said of his injury designation. "The scheduled did not help. Two-and-a-half-hour flight, got to the hotel around 2 a.m. Early game today. That definitely does not help. We’ve had kind of a tough schedule. But that’s not an excuse. We’ve got to take care of our body and do whatever we can, lift weights, recover, etc. etc. But no, I tried to do what I can do to just help the team.”
Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points, 13 assists, seven rebound and five turnovers.
Malik Beasley shoves Collin Sexton after Giannis Antetokounmpo hit in face
With 1:14 to go in the first half and the Bucks leading 61-46, Collin Sexton drove to the basket on Antetokounmpo. And as the 6-foot, 3-inch guard got into the paint, it appeared that his left shoulder caught the Bucks’ forward in the face. Antetokounmpo hit the court and grabbed his face. Sexton finished the play with a bucket and Antetokounmpo stayed on the ground, and Beasley didn't like how Sexton stood over his prone teammate.
So, as the Bucks got ready to inbound the ball Beasley ran across the court and gave Sexton a hard shoulder to the back. Sexton spun around and fell over, and he immediately got up and rushed Beasley.
“I saw him stare down my teammate and give him a mean look and I believe he hit him in the face, I don’t know, but I don’t play that,” Beasley said. “I got my teammate’s back and I’ll take the tech. (Sexton) is my boy. It wasn’t like trying to hurt him or anything just sending a message that it’s not as sweet over here.”
The players didn’t escalate it from there and coaches and security from both teams immediately surrounded the pair and broke them up. Afterward, Antetokounmpo could be seen on the sideline pushed his palms down in the “settle down” motion.
“He did it in a smart way – not a flagrant way, you know what I’m saying?” Rivers said. “I thought the whole thing would’ve been over if they just called the out of bounds when Sexton stepped out of bounds on that play. Then none of that happens. But they missed that, which they said they did when they looked at the replay. I didn’t see anything other than; I didn’t see – I don’t think he hit Giannis on purpose. But he did hit him, I think. I’m not even sure in this day, you never know. And then what I thought got Malik upset is Sexton kind of stood over him. That’s where, to me, if you blow the whistle on that, the rest doesn’t happen.”
After a review of both Sexton’s contact with Antetokounmpo and Beasley’s with Sexton, the officials awarded Beasley and Sexton technical fouls.
“I appreciate my teammates standing up for me," Antetokounmpo said. "I just felt something. I don’t know what it was, if it was a shoulder or a elbow, I just felt something hit my face. But I don’t know what happened afterwards. I was on the floor. I don’t know what happened. Double tech? Again, we have to have one another’s back, no matter what. Good or bad, win or lose, we have to have one another’s back and this is what we’re doing right now.”
More: Doc Rivers holds his first Milwaukee Bucks practice in Dallas: 'We changed a lot'
AJ Green making an impact in short Bucks rotation
On a night where the Bucks were without two starters and coming off a game in which Antetokounmpo logged 40 minutes and Lillard played 38, it felt only natural that the game against the Jazz – in the altitude of Salt Lake City – would be a good opportunity for to see second-year players MarJon Beauchamp and AJ Green and rookies Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston.
But that was not the case, as it was just Green who saw significant action.
The 24-year-old, who earned a guaranteed contract this season after a promising rookie campaign as a undrafted free agent, made a big impact against the Jazz. He was the Bucks’ sixth man and scored 10 points in 11 minutes. He made his first 3 three-pointers.
Unfortunately for the Bucks he didn't score again, but he did play 22 minutes. But Rivers said Green is impressing him with his toughness early on, and felt Green competed on the defensive end even when the Jazz tried to target him.
More: How the Bucks' AJ Green comes off the bench ready to shoot
This after the second-year guard out of Northern Iowa was the first of youthful quartet on the Bucks roster to earn playing time under Rivers, seeing the floor for 6:28 against Dallas. He was 2 for 2 from the field for five points and Rivers said before the Jazz game that, “with AJ, I watch him shoot – the ball goes in. Every time. So, logically, you say let’s throw him on the floor.”
But it’s been a steep learning curve for the Bucks’ new head coach.
“That’s been the most difficult part, honestly,” Rivers said before the game about most youthful part of the roster. “You come in and you know all the vets. Hell, we played against them all. The young guys, half of them I’ve never seen before in my life, or spoken to, and now I’m trying to figure out if they can play.”
They did not get that opportunity against Utah, however, as Jackson Jr., Beauchamp and Livingston didn't check in until the final seconds.
“Yeah, the only guy honestly I thought I could’ve played Robin (Lopez) more,” Rivers said when asked about his short bench. “That was our game plan going in. We got a stretch with him on the floor and we stretched the lead. That was the one thing I thought we could’ve did more just to get guys some rest. But, can’t do it now.”
Before the game, the Bucks head coach reiterated his thought from his initial press conference on Jan. 27 that one of those players could help the team going forward.
“I think slowly we’ll start using one or two of them for sure,” he said. “I think one at least can help us.
“I think it’ll be more than one, really, because I think they’re two; a couple of them are just completely different guys and we’ll use them in that way.”
Five numbers
4 Damian Lillard’s rank all-time in three-point attempts after he passed Los Angeles’ LeBron James with his fifth try against the Jazz. Lillard went 1-8 from deep, giving him 6,806 career attempts. Ray Allen is No.3 all-time with 7,429 three-point attempts.
6-2 Bucks record in the second game of back-to-backs. By winning in Dallas on Saturday the Bucks improved to 5-3 on the front end of two-game sets.
13 Fourth quarter points by the Bucks. The Jazz scored 40.
21 Second quarter points scored by the Jazz, which allowed the Bucks to erase a six-point first quarter deficit and take a lead. It was the same number the Dallas Mavericks scored on Saturday, which allowed the Bucks to nearly erase a 24-point first quarter deficit
35 Technical fouls on the season by Bucks players after Malik Beasley was awarded one in the second quarter. It was Beasley’s third technical of the year.
Khris Middleton ruled out for Bucks
After playing a season-high 38 minutes, 29 seconds on Saturday against Dallas, the Bucks held out Khris Middleton for Sunday’s game in Salt Lake City for right knee injury management.
It is the eighth game the 32-year-old all-star will miss, seven of which were part of back-to-back sets. He played in consecutive games just once, logging 15 minutes in first half action against San Antonio on Jan. 4.
Middleton had not played 38 minutes in a regular season game since March 4, 2022 in Chicago (38:45).
Brook Lopez remains out for personal reasons
The Bucks center missed Saturday’s game in Dallas and was also out for the game against the Jazz for personal reasons.
Bucks hire assistant coach Pete Dominguez
Doc Rivers has added to his coaching staff since taking over the job on Jan. 26. Dave Joerger and Rex Kalamian were at Rivers’ introductory press conference on Jan. 27, and Pete Dominguez brought aboard shortly thereafter.
Dominguez worked with Rivers in Philadelphia and with the Los Angeles Clippers and Rivers said he was instrumental building in the video room in both places. He also assisted Kalamian in coaching the Armenian national team and coached Obras Sanitarias in Argentina.
Along with video duties, Rivers said Dominguez will assist in player development, on defense and “coaching the coaches.”
“He’s a very important guy for me,” Rivers said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jazz topple Bucks 123-108 with big fourth quarter comeback
