Huge Giannis triple-double fuels Bucks to 6th straight win / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AP-Scanpix Credit AP-Scanpix

Giannis Antetokounmpo notched his second triple-double of the season as the Milwaukee Bucks (25-13) defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans (13-23) 136-113 (27-24, 37-32, 32-26, 40-31) on Saturday night to extend their win streak to six games.

Player of the Game EFF 46 Giannis Antetokounmpo Points 35 Accuracy 12-18 Rebounds 16 Assists 10

The five-time All-Star finished with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Antetokounmpo is now averaging 33 points since returning from health and safety protocols.

Reserve Jordan Nwora added 23 points, Jrue Holiday chipped in 21 and Grayson Allen stepped up with 16 in Khris Middleton's absence.

Milwaukee continued to shoot the ball efficiently, shooting over 45 percent from the field for the fifth consecutive game while sinking 23 of its 48 shots from beyond the arc.

Jaxson Hayes led the Pelicans off the bench with a career-high 23 points. Josh Hart flirted with a triple-double, totaling 14 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Herbert Jones followed up his career-high 26-point performance with 14 points, and Garrett Temple and Devonte' Graham both collected 14 as well.

Despite getting outscored in all four quarters, the Pelicans had seven players score in double figures. Head coach Willie Green's squad shot 41.1 percent from the field, their lowest percentage since Dec. 3.

New Orleans trailed by at least 10 for the final 21 minutes of play. Milwaukee opened things up in the third quarter, jumping out to an 18-point lead that stemmed from a 21-9 run. Allen had eight points during the surge, six of which came on shots from distance.

The Bucks held a 64-56 lead at the break after closing the first half on a 7-0 run. Milwaukee hit 10 first-half 3-pointers as a team and Antetokounmpo had 17 points.

Hayes kept the Pelicans close with 13 points of his own, but New Orleans converted just 8 of 16 free throws to put itself at an early disadvantage.

The defense was a common theme through the first 12 minutes of action, as the teams combined to go 17 for 45 (37.8 percent) from the field with each team tallying four steals and a pair of blocks.

Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo 35 (16 REB, 10 AST), Jordan Nwora 23, Jrue Holiday 21 (6 AST), Grayson Allen 16, Bobby Portis 14 (6 REB).

Pelicans: Jaxson Hayes 23 (7 REB), Devonte Graham 14, Josh Hart 14 (11 REB), Herbert Jones 14 (6 REB), Garrett Temple 14, Nickeil Alexander-Walker 13 (5 REB), Willy Hernangomez 11 (8 REB).

Giannis Antetokounmpo's performance

Full game highlights

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