The Milwaukee Bucks saw their typical furious rally come much too late, and their star Giannis Antetokounmpo leave with an ankle injury, in a loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday night in Milwaukee.
Taking another hit to their prospects climbing out of eighth spot in the East, and watching their best player Giannis Antetokounmpo sprain his right ankle in the second quarter, the Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Los Angeles Clippers, 127-120, on Wednesday Night in the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
From the start, it was clear the Bucks did not have an answer for DeAndre Jordan. Jordan collected a double-double in the first quarter alone, and finished with 25 points and 22 rebounds. Overall, the Bucks looked outmatched, facing a 38-24 score at the end of the first period.
Eight turnovers from the Clippers in the second quarter, and surprisingly strong contributions from Shabazz Muhammad inside the arc for eight points, allowed the Bucks to close the deficit to four points, before closing the half down 64-57.
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With four minutes remaining in the second, Giannis exited the game for good with a sprained right ankle. He appeared to suffer the injury at the 5:10 mark when he tripped over Austin Rivers and his status moving forward remains unclear.
Jabari Parker took Antetokounmpo’s place with the starters, and tallied season-highs of 30 minutes and 20 points.
In the third quarter, Milwaukee brought a renewed emphasis on denying Jordan easy access to the rim.
However, this strategy came at the cost of six threes from the sweet-shooting Clippers. The Bucks themselves failed to hit a trey on just two attempts.
Four minutes into the third, the Bucks came within four points on a John Henson layup, but by the end of the quarter, the team was unraveling and trailed 97-83.
The game looked to be getting out of hand midway through the fourth, but Milwaukee teased with an extended rally that threatened to become serious when with 1:46 left, Eric Bledsoe nailed a three-pointer and the scoreboard read 114-109.
As has become customary, the intense almost-comeback fueled by defensive intensity and ball denial came much too late to give the Bucks a realistic chance at pulling it off, proving to be more frustrating than encouraging.
So without further ado, let’s dive deeper into what stood out in the Bucks’ loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday night.