SAN ANTONIO — FINAL (Spurs win 126-104)
It was a team effort that propelled the Spurs to a 22-point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. 5 Purs scored in double digits, and the Spurs bench outscored the Bucks' second unit 62-36 in the game.
DeMar DeRozan led the way with 25 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds, while Patty Mills knocked down six triples, scoring 21 points in 23 minutes.
As a team, the Spurs shot 54% from behind the arc, while Milwaukee's shooters shot 36% from three.
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4th Quarter (Spurs lead 107-93, 5:58 remaining)
Patty Mills is having a terrific day off the Spurs bench - he's knocked down five three-pointers as the Silver and Black start to pull away from the Bucks in the final frame.
Lonnie Walker IV added to the scoring effort with his own triple to put the Spurs up 14.
End 3rd (Spurs lead 91-81)
The Spurs weathered the run from the Bucks at the start of the halftime, during which Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo cut the lead to just five. The Spurs were able to get the lead back into the double digits behind DeRozan's 21 points and 5 assists.
One more assist from DeRozan and we've hit the "Closky threshold"
Here's a highlight reel "Poeltl Jam" from Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl:
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(Spurs lead 75-69, 5:09 remaining)
It's Giannis Antetokounmpo's world, and we're just living in it. The Greek Freak now has 17 points to cut into the Spurs lead down to just 6.
The Spurs are 2-6 on three's in the quarter.
Halftime (Spurs lead 65-52)
When the Spurs faced the Bucks Saturday, the team got off to a hot start before going ice cold in the second half. The Silver and Black are hoping that's not the case tonight.
They take a 13-point lead into the locker room behind 15 points from guard DeMar DeRozan. Three Spurs are in double figures, while forward Trey Lyles is contributing 9 rebounds. Currently, the Spurs are an insane 11-17 on 3-pointers in the first half, that's nearly 65% for a team that averages 36.7% from downtown.
Patty Mills has 12 points off the bench.
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(Spurs up 53-38, 3:48 to go)
The Spurs have pulled away with just under four minutes to go until halftime. The Silver and Black are scorching hot in the first half, shooting 50% from the field and 57% from behind the three-point line (8-14).
Starting point guard Dejounte Murray is finding his stroke after a one-game absence for personal reasons. He's knocked down two triples.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player for the Milwaukee Bucks with double-digit scoring (10).
End 1st (Spurs up 27-22)
DeMar DeRozan leads all scorers as the San Antonio Spurs find themselves up 5 at the end of the first quarter.
DeRozan tallied 9 points in 10 minutes on 4-7 shooting and drained a 3-pointer to go along with 2 rebounds and one assist.
The Bucks are cold from behind the arc, making just 4 of their 14 three-point attempts (28%). Three point shooting propelled Milwaukee to a 9-point win against the Silver and Black in their previous meeting Saturday.
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(Spurs up 13-10; 7:28 remaining) - The Milwaukee Bucks are up 3 early into the first quarter. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokoumnpo, who got off to a slow start in the previous meeting against the Spurs, is finding his shot early.
DeMar DeRozan has 5 of the Spurs' first 10 points; he's already taken - and made - a three-pointer, a rarity for the shooting guard, early into the first frame.
Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray is back in the starting lineup after missing one game for personal reasons.
According to Spurs PR's Jordan Howenstine, Murray is playing his 150th game with the Silver & Black tonight and is one of three Spurs ever with 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 400 assists in their first 150 games.
PREGAME:
The NBA isn't big on sympathy. Players know better than to expect anybody to feel sorry for them when they're going through hard times.
And so it is for the Spurs, who have lost two straight and face the challenge of playing the league's best team for the second time in three nights.
Monday's game tips off at 7:30 p.m. CT. Follow along here for live updates.