In a frantic finish, the Spurs got the final laugh as they outlasted the Bucks, 97-96 Monday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
LaMarcus Aldridge’s basket with 21.2 seconds left was the deciding factor, as the final minutes saw the two teams clash back and forth.
The blows began to be exchanged at a fast pace with just over five minutes remaining in the game when a Matthew Dellavedova 3-pointer gave the Bucks a one point lead, 88-87. That lead would be padded two more when the Bucks picked up a stop and Greg Monroe put in a layup their ensuing possession, causing a San Antonio timeout.
The Spurs would come out of the break by going on a quick 6-2 run, off a tip-in from Kawhi Leonard, who made it a 93-92 advantage in their favor. Jabari Parker would answer back with a 4-0 run of his own, the second basket being a running layup that stabled a three point Milwaukee lead with 2:25 left.
However, every time the Bucks went up, the Spurs had an answer and for the fourth quarter, that was Kawhi Leonard. The defensive juggernaut finished with 22 points, 17 of which came in the fourth quarter alone. He connected on a pair of free throws with 1:09 remaining, cutting the Bucks lead to just one.
On the other end, the Bucks would turn it over on an Antetokounmpo travel, providing San Antonio with a chance to take the lead; which they did. LaMarcus Aldridge positioned himself in the post and sank a two-foot hook shot, making it 97-96 in advantage of the Spurs with 21 seconds remaining.
However, plenty of time remained for the Bucks to strike. They would be presented a nearly perfect opportunity to win the game when Mirza Teletovic found himself wide open on the baseline. However, his 3-point attempt ended up being too long and was hauled in by Aldridge. The Spurs then passed the ball up the floor, knocking off the final seconds remaining.
“I kind of released it wrong,” said Teletovic. I had a wide open shot. I set myself the right way, looked at the rim and released it. Sometimes you make some and some you miss. That’s the way basketball is.”
For the Bucks, Jabari Parker scored a team-high 23 points stringed together with eight rebounds and three assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo put forth a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
When asked about the style and what might be the most underrated aspect of his game, Popovich was unsure.
“I really don’t know [what it is],” Popovich said. “You need to coach someone to know that. He is a fighting player obviously. You’d have to ask Jason [Kidd] that question.”
Tony Parker would go down with an injury in the third quarter of action when he banged knees with Matthew Dellavedova. He shied it off in his postgame comments.
“Just no luck, I got hit in the same spot,” Parker said. “It happens, it’s part of the game. [I’ll] do treatment and hopefully feel better tomorrow.”
The Bucks continue their four-game home stand with two more games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center this week, as they host Portland on Wednesday and the Hawks on Friday.