Antetokounmpo's triple-double powers Bucks
MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his second triple-double of the season, and Jabari Parker scored 27 points as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the second half for a 115-107 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night at the Bradley Center.
Antetokounmpo scored 15 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 11 assists in 40 minutes.
Parker scored 10 of his points in the third quarter, hitting 4 of 8 shots as the Bucks connected at a 61.1 percent clip and took a nine-point lead into the fourth.
Down 58-51 at halftime, Milwaukee used 3-point shooting to turn things around in the third quarter. The Bucks went 3 of 11 from beyond the arc in the first half but hit six in the third -- with two each from Tony Snell and Matthew Dellavedova -- and took a 72-70 lead with 4:22 left in the quarter.
Michael Beasley sank a 3-pointer with 8:55 left to put Milwaukee up 10, capping off a 12-point effort.
Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 30 points, while CJ McCollum added 23. Allen Crabbe had 14 off the bench for Portland and hit a 3-pointer with a minute to play that cut the deficit to four.
However, a reverse hook by Dellavedova put the Bucks back up six, and Antetokounmpo and John Henson sank a pair of free throws each to close it out.
The Bucks finished 10 of 24 on 3-point attempts and shot 51.9 percent overall. They dominated Portland inside, outscoring the Blazers 54-30 in the paint.
Milwaukee also got 17 from Dellavedova, 15 from Greg Monroe and 13 from Malcolm Brogdon.
Portland shot 43.5 percent and made 17 of 40 3-pointers but gave up 21 points on 16 turnovers.
NOTES: Former NBA star Kevin Garnett attended Bucks practices Tuesday and Wednesday. He spent time working one-on-one with F Giannis Antetokounmpo. "He was the MVP of the league so for one year he was the best player," Antetokounmpo said. "For him coming and spending some time with us, it's a great feeling." ... Milwaukee's defense leads the league in opponents field goal percentage (42.7 percent) and 3-point percentage (31.1 percent) this season. ... Blazers F Al-Farouq Aminu reported no issues with his left calf after playing 17 minutes Monday against the Bulls and was available Wednesday, though his minutes were monitored, coach Terry Stotts said. Aminu missed the previous 13 games because of the injury. ... Stotts was an assistant for the Bucks under George Karl from 1998 to 2002 and the head coach from 2005 to 2007. ... The two teams split their season series a year ago.