The Milwaukee Bucks have had quite a week.
They had historic performances twice in three days, then rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Heat 121-115 in overtime in Miami on Saturday night.
The Bucks (43-34) clinched a playoff berth Saturday and moved into the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re trying to stay sharp as the postseason nears after losing four straight games before winning the last three.
They’ll try to keep rolling when they visit the lottery-bound New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
“We have to win games,” Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “We clinched the playoffs, and I’m happy about that. We’re in a good place. We just have to stay humble and stay on point.”
The Bucks shot a franchise-best 68.9 percent from the floor on Tuesday and made 58.6 percent of their 3-pointers in a 133-123 victory over visiting Phoenix.
Two nights later in a 126-113 victory at Philadelphia, Antetokounmpo became the first player in NBA history to have at least 35 points, 20 assists and 15 rebounds in the same game. He finished with 35, 20 and 17, respectively, for Milwaukee, which shot 51.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Things were more difficult Saturday but worked out fine.
Antetokounmpo didn’t duplicate his historic stat line against the Heat, but he wasn’t that far off, finishing with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
“His effort was amazing,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Antetokounmpo, but added, “It was a team win.”
Bucks guard Damian Lillard (calf injury) has missed the last nine games, but Rivers is optimistic he will be able to return before the end of the season.
As for Milwaukee’s recent surge in Lillard’s absence, Rivers said, “I’m surprised by it, but I love it.”
The Pelicans (21-56) have lost five of their top players to season-ending injuries and traded second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram during the season.
New Orleans will play its third consecutive game against a team headed to the postseason.
The Peclians lost consecutive road games against the Clippers (114-98 score) on Wednesday and Lakers (124-108) on Friday. Jose Alvarado had 17 points and 10 assists against the Clippers and tied his season high with 27 points against the Lakers.
New Orleans coach Willie Green said Alvarado “has been doing a great job filling in for guys being out,” but Alvarado is questionable for Sunday because of calf soreness. If he doesn’t play, New Orleans will be even more dependent on inexperienced players.
“You can’t script the experience that they’re getting on the floor,” Green said of the young players. “They’re taking advantage of opportunities. I can see steady improvement from all these guys across the board.
“You can see the improvement right before our eyes, and the key as we move forward with the last handful of games left is to continue to try to build on the positives.”
Sunday’s game was scheduled to be played Jan. 22 but was postponed because of a rare snowstorm in New Orleans. The Pelicans will visit the Bucks on Thursday.
–Field Level Media
