Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen each scored 21 points, leading the Utah Jazz to a 132-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks during Monday night’s NBA action, marking the Bucks’ fourth loss in their last five games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched a triple-double for Milwaukee with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Utah’s John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Keyonte George contributed significantly, each adding 19 points. The Jazz’s recent form has been impressive, winning five of their last six games and holding an 11-4 record over their last 15 games.
Markkanen reflected on the difficulty of maintaining a large lead, acknowledging the Bucks’ expected rally but praising the Jazz’s poise and determination to secure the win.
“That’s a good win,” Markkanen said. “It’s not easy to lead by 30. It’s hard to keep that up. We knew that they were going to make a run at some point, and really still stay poised and really grind it out, it was a good win.”
Milwaukee missed the presence of guard Damian Lillard, who averages 25.1 points per game and was out for personal reasons. Khris Middleton and Malik Beasley added 23 and 17 points for the Bucks, respectively.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Antetokounmpo emphasized the importance of unity and continuous improvement despite the current challenges. The Bucks, who faced a substantial halftime deficit of 77-46, fought back in the third quarter, scoring 44 points to close the gap to 100-90 entering the final period.
“You’ve got to stay together, that’s it,” Antetokounmpo said. “If you try to go your way or do it yourself, it’s not going to work. We’ve been in this position before. It’s OK to be in this position … but then again, at the end of the day, we have to get better. We have to realize that we have keep on doing the little things.”
The Jazz responded with a 9-2 run at the start of the fourth quarter, highlighted by Clarkson’s drive. However, a dunk by Brook Lopez brought the Bucks back within eight points. Bucks coach Adrian Griffin commented on the challenge of recovering from a significant deficit in the NBA.
“We flipped it a little bit as far as our energy and effort, and we made it a ballgame, but you in the NBA you just can’t dig yourself in a hole like that,” Griffin said. “And then you’ve got to play extremely hard and exert a lot of energy just to try to get back into the game.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Utah’s shooting improved notably from their previous games, hitting 11-17 three-pointers in the first quarter and leading 41-23. The Jazz maintained their shooting efficiency throughout the game, with five players scoring in double figures by halftime.
“I think the first possession, Lauri Markkanen had a 3, and after that, everything just went downhill,” Antetokounmpo said. “They had 11 in first quarter, 16 for the half. That’s a lot 3s, man, I’m not going to lie. We’ve got to do a better job of defending the 3. But at the end of the day, if you don’t defend the 3, don’t defend the drive, you don’t get rebounds … just got to find our identity.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
The Bucks initiated a comeback with a 15-4 run in the third quarter, but ultimately, Antetokounmpo recognized the need for better three-point defense and overall team identity.
Looking ahead, the Jazz will host the Denver Nuggets, while the Bucks are set to face the Boston Celtics in their upcoming matchups.
