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Bucks vs. Warriors: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2015 Regular Season
December 19, 2015
Just six days after the Milwaukee Bucks ended their NBA-record 24-game winning streak to start a season, the Golden State Warriors had a chance to avenge the loss on their own court Friday.
It was a struggle, but they did just that.
Down by as many as 15 points, the Warriors used a 36-19 fourth quarter to prevail 121-112.
Despite the earlier loss, Golden State was the clear favorite for the rematch based on recent trends, as illustrated by ESPN Stats & Info:
And with Curry hitting shots like this in warm-ups, per the Warriors' Twitter account, it felt like he may go for 50 in the game:
Instead he finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, just missing a triple-double. Klay Thompson continued his hot streak with 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
Nice Kicks kept it simple while praising Curry after the game:
Yet it was the Bucks, who came into the game 10-17, doing the scoring early and often. They led by 12 at halftime, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:
They played solid defense through three quarters, and their length was bothering Golden State's scorers. That translated to seven blocks, including this one from Jabari Parker, per the Bucks' Twitter account:
It was plays like this from Curry, the NBA's leading scorer, that kept the Warriors in the game, per the Warriors' Twitter account:
Early on it was an unsung Warrior who kept the game from getting out of hand with some key three-pointers and solid defense, per Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com:
Major contributions also came from forward Draymond Green, who also just missed a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He showed off his toughness with an and-1 to bring the crowd to its feet in the fourth quarter, per the Warriors:
However, this pass from Green to Festus Ezeli for the dunk and a 103-102 lead with 5:11 to play capped a 14-2 run and was "the most beautiful play of the night," according to Warriors color commentator Jim Barnett:
Eric Rosenthal of Page2Sports.com tweeted what most Golden State fans were probably thinking as the game swung in the Warriors' favor late in the fourth quarter:
Michael Carter-Williams had a team-high 24 points, but his quality performance will be bittersweet, as Milwaukee let the game get away.
The Bucks had seven players in double figures, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, who chipped in with 20. Greg Monroe had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Postgame Reaction
Per the Bucks' official Twitter feed, coach Jason Kidd believes his team can take valuable lessons from the game:
Warriors interim coach Luke Walton was disappointed by his team's performance early in the game. According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), he said: "We were very public about the fact that we wanted to get revenge. Then we didn't come out and play with that edge and that mentality."