Giannis Antetokounmpo injures wrist, sets Bucks assists record in 112-100 win over Bulls

The Milwaukee Bucks matched the longest winning streak of the regular season this year in the NBA by winning their 12th straight, 112-100 over Chicago on Thursday night, though Giannis Antetokounmpo left the game with a right wrist injury.

X-rays on the sprain were "clean," coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game.

The 12 consecutive wins matches a streak by the 1981-82 team, which is the sixth-longest in franchise history. The club record is 20, set in 1971. The longest in the Mike Budenholzer era is 18, set in 2019.

The Bucks head into the all-star break with a 41-17 record while the Bulls dropped to 26-33 and have now lost six straight.

Brook Lopez, hot shooters carry Bucks

Winning a dozen games requires a total team effort, and while Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton have played at high levels throughout the streak, center Brook Lopez looks like he found the fountain of youth.

The 34-year-old center had three 20-point games and two double-doubles during the first 11 games of the streak in averaging 12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. And against Chicago, it was clear he was looking to improve upon those numbers. He scored 15 points in the first quarter and had 23 at the half – which would have been his seventh-best scoring night of the season if it ended there.

BOX SCORE: Bucks 112, Bulls 100

The Bulls didn’t fold – they cut the lead to single digits on several occasions – but they never had an answer for Lopez. He finished with a season-best 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting, along with seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 33 minutes.

“When we needed him, we went into Super Saiyan mode and carried us throughout the first three quarters,” Jrue Holiday said. “Brook being Brook. And blocks, too. He cleaned that s--- up.”

His previous season-high was a 30-point effort on Dec. 19. Lopez’s top-scoring performance as a member of the Bucks was a 34-point effort on Aug. 8, 2020.

The Bucks’ big man was 3 for 6 from behind the three-point line, too, but Jevon Carter and AJ Green led the way from the outside. Carter started and scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 4 three-pointers. Green scored 15 off the bench.

The duo scored 15 straight points to stretch a 10-point lead to 22 early in the fourth quarter and effectively seal the game for Milwaukee.

“I think it’s waiting for the shots to come, knowing that I’m going to get some looks and just be ready to knock ‘em down," Green said. "Jevon found me a few times. It’s really just being ready and trusting in the work you put in knowing I’m going to shoot it with confidence, and you can either make it or miss it, and I’m fine with missing it.”

Holiday had an impressive all-around showing before heading to the all-star game with 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds in 28 minutes. He helped limit Bulls star Zach LaVine to 17 points on 5-of-16 shooting.

Nikola Vučević led Chicago with 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo injures right wrist vs. Bulls; X-ray clean on sprain

Early in the second quarter Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo tried to recover and challenge a drive by Bulls guard Coby White, and as White missed his altered layup attempt the pair went tumbling to the court. White hit the floor, but Antetokounmpo's momentum carried him into the stanchion under the basket. He put his right hand to prevent a full collision with the object but it appeared like his hand got caught in the padding around it. He immediately grabbed his hand in obvious pain, though he did get up and stayed in the game to finish out the possession.

He continued to flex his hand and was subbed out. He met briefly with head athletic trainer Scott Faust on the Bucks bench and pointed to the stanchion before the pair went to the locker room.

Antetokounmpo was ruled out for the game with a right wrist sprain with 3:10 to go in the first half.

“I think the initial reports were hopeful," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "The X-ray was clean and he’s got a sprain. We’ll just, I think, see how he feels tomorrow, see how he feels the next few days and continue to evaluate it.”

Antetokounmpo exited the game after nine minutes of action with two points on 1 of 4 shooting. He also had seven rebounds and three assists.

“He’s a guy that is attacking the basket all the time and he’s fearless and he takes a lot of falls so you kind of learn to just expect him to always bounce back up and that’s what we’re hoping from for this one," Budenholzer said.

As for Antetokounmpo's participation in all-star festivities, Budenholzer said, “I have no idea.”

Antetokounmpo was not available for comment.

“I think he’s all right,” Holiday said. “We’ve seen him be hurt a little bit worse than that and went and had 40, 40, 40, 50 and 50 in the Finals.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo breaks Bucks’ assist record

Carter filled the wing to Antetokounmpo’s right with just under seven minutes to go in the first quarter, and as the Bulls closed in he slung the ball out to his teammate – who spotted up and drilled a three-pointer.

It was history, again, for Bucks superstar as he passed Paul Pressey for the top playmaker in franchise history. Antetokounmpo exited the game with three assists, giving him 3,274 for his career to date.

“I wasn’t here long enough,” Holiday joked. “No, no, no. I mean, it’s greatness, right? It’s elite. Especially to do it with one franchise. To be here through the ups and the downs, to see where he started and then where he is now, so happy for him.”

It took Pressey eight seasons (1982-1990) and 580 games to set his previous club record of 3,272 assists. Pressey averaged 5.6 assists per game in his Bucks tenure.

Antetokounmpo played in his 703^rd game for the Bucks on Thursday and is in his 10^th season. He has a career average of 4.7 assists per game, but has averaged 5.5 per game since blossoming into an all-star in 2016-17. And, of course, the two-time league MVP has been one of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA in that time as well.

“I just think he’s an incredible winning player,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said of Antetokounmpo before the game. “He’s a winning player. He’s going to do things that are going to impact the outcome of games. I think he probably understands he sees a lot of crowds, he sees these walls and he understands the more I trust the pass, the more I pass to these guys, the more shots that are made, the more it’s going to open things for me.

“I think he’s always displayed a really, really good balance between himself and his teammates but you can just tell that winning is the highest priority for him so when you look at him, he’s going to do what he thinks in that moment is going to impact the outcome of the game, and I think he’s probably realized – as competitive as he is – that when there are crowds there that extra pass makes the game easier for his teammates and it makes the game easier for himself.”

Pressey and Antetokounmpo are the only two players in Bucks history to record at least 3,000 assists.

Antetokounmpo now owns the following franchise records:

• Minutes played

• Points

• Free throws

• Free throw attempts

• Defensive rebounds

• Assists

• Blocks

• Turnovers

• Triple-doubles

Antetokounmpo will break Junior Bridgeman’s record for most games played of 711 once he appears in nine more after the all-star break.

Play of the game is Giannis' record-breaking assist to Jevon Carter

History. Again.

Five numbers

1 Wins against the Bulls this season for the Bucks, moving the season series to 1-2 in favor of Chicago. Coming into this season, the Bulls were just 2-17 (including playoffs) against the Bucks since 2018.

5 Three-pointers by Green off the bench, tying his season-high set back on Jan. 12 at Miami.

6 Technical fouls this season for Lopez, tying him with Bobby Portis for the team lead. Joe Ingles is closing fast, however, with four.

9 Assists for Holiday, who passed Marquette University and Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade for No. 45 on the all-time assists list. Holiday also passed Hall of Famer Jack Sikma for No. 23 on the all-time assists list in Bucks franchise history.

100 Percent shooting from behind the three-point line for Carter (4 for 4).

Video of the game is Jrue Holiday putting all-star pressure on Giannis

Before the game, the TNT studio crew asked Bucks guard Jrue Holiday about captain Giannis Antetokounmpo's selection choice in the upcoming all-star game...and Holiday let the world know how he felt it should go...

But in fairness to Antetokounmpo -- he spoke about picking Holiday No. 1 overall (if he could) back before Holiday was even named an all-star!

Bucks injury report

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (right knee soreness), available

• Khris Middleton (right nee soreness), out

• Pat Connaughton (left calf soreness), out

• Bobby Portis (right knee sprain), out

• Jae Crowder (return to competition reconditioning), out

Middleton unexpectedly out vs. Bulls

After playing nearly 25 minutes of action against the Celtics on Tuesday -- his biggest workload since he returned form a knee injury Jan. 23 -- Middleton was ruled out against the Bulls on Thursday.

Before the game, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer wouldn't say Middleton suffered a setback in the Boston game, but did say it was unexpected that the three-time all-star couldn't suit up against the Bulls.

"He's not able to go tonight," Budenholzer said. "I think we're overall not concerned, but we'll see how he does over the break, just continue to work with him, make sure he's in a good place when he plays."

For his part, Middleton said he was feeling good after the Celtics game.

"I feel good. I still feel like I still got a long way to go, especially with; hopefully my minutes start increasing here," Middleton said afterward. "Whenever they do, I know I gotta push through that cycle, too. So right now I feel like I'm headed in the right direction. Just gotta keep pushing myself."

Connaughton hasn’t missed a game since Nov. 25, which was in the early stages of his return from a 15-game absence to start year after straining his calf.

“He’s played, overall, really well, he’s been chewing up a lot of minutes,” Budenholzer said of Connaughton popping up on the injury report Thursday. “I think it’s in the background, I think it’s something that the medical group is aware of, we’re aware of, but I would say mostly it has not been something that’s changed or impacted anything we’ve done, really, since he returned and got to whatever his normal minutes and comfort level was.”

Sandro Mamukelashvili headed to play in G League Next Up game

The Bucks' second-year big man will be playing in a showcase at Salt Lake City as he was named as an injury replacement for the G League's Next Up Game, which highlights players in the NBA's developmental league.

In four regular season games with the Wisconsin Herd -- the Bucks' G League affiliate in Oshkosh -- Mamukelashvili averaged 23.3 points and 13 rebounds. He also played 11 games for the Herd for its in-season tournament, the showcase cup, and averaged 19.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. He's appeared in 23 games with the Bucks, also.

Mamukelashvili will play for Team Luka Garza and will face Team Scoot Henderson on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City in advance of the NBA all-star game. The game will be broadcast live on NBA TV.

Who do the Bucks play next?

The all-star break begins, and the Bucks will be off until they host Miami at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday will play in the all-star game in Salt Lake City on Sunday night, while Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Alex Antetokounmpo will team up with their brother in the skills challenge on Saturday.

Nickel column:Jrue Holiday finds room for improvement even after 40-point night in Bucks' big victory

Nickel column:He may not always get the attention he deserves, but there's no deflecting Brook Lopez's value to the Bucks

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis Antetokounmpo injured, sets assist record in Bucks win