Bucks fall to Warriors 105-95
MILWAUKEE -- Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry each scored 20 points, and the Golden State Warriors wrapped up a five-game trip with their third straight win, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 105-95 on Friday night.
Andre Iguodala added a season-high 15 points for Golden State, which pulled away in the second half with another hot stretch from the 3-point line. The Warriors went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc in a six-minute stretch that started with Curry's 3 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter to build an 11-point lead.
Curry and Thompson were each 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The Warriors shot 41 percent (19 of 46) from long distance, putting on a clinic in crunch time against the Bucks, the league's highest-scoring team.
Milwaukee couldn't keep up with Golden State's barrage, shooting just 7 of 39 (18 percent) from 3-point territory — too many misses in spite of scoring 26 points off 18 Golden State turnovers.
A game of fits and starts typically had the Warriors building a three-possession lead, only for the Bucks to answer and get within a bucket. Golden State would jump ahead again as the teams traded runs.
The Warriors went ahead to stay after Curry's 3 answered Ersan Ilyasova's bucket that briefly gave the Bucks a 74-72 lead to cap 12-2 run.
Golden State cut down on turnovers in the second half while forcing more Milwaukee mistakes.
Thompson sidestepped two defenders to get an open look, hit a 3 from the wing to make it 89-78 with 10:18 left in the game and then coolly walked toward the baseline to play defense.
Golden State avenged a 134-111 loss to Milwaukee in Oakland on Nov. 8.
The Warriors led 57-51 at the half, hitting 9 of 20 from 3-point range and getting 18 assists on 22 field goals.
TIP-INS
Warriors: F Draymond Green missed his 11th straight game with a sprained right toe. Coach Steve Kerr said the All Star's progress has been "fantastic" on the latter part of the team's five-game trip. "We scrimmaged some yesterday and he's really coming along well. If not tonight, I would fully expect him to play Monday" against Minnesota, Kerr said. ... Jonas Jerebko added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3.
Bucks: Middleton had a rough start in back in the lineup after missing the win over Detroit on Wednesday for personal reasons. He went scoreless in the first half and missed four shots, going to the bench after picking up his third foul with 6:11 left in the second quarter, but finished with 10 points. ... Antetokounmpo had a game-high 14 in the first half, including a one-handed slamto put back a Bledsoe miss with 9:08 left in the second.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Return home to face the Timberwolves on Monday.
Bucks: Visit the Toronto Raptors on Sunday in a matchup of East's top two teams.