San Antonio used a balanced attack Saturday to beat the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 102-93, snapping a four-game losing skid with their first road victory of the season.
Point guard Dejounte Murray and reserve Bryn Forbes led the charge as five players, including two off the bench, scored in double figures for the Spurs, who improved to 2-4 on the season.
Murray scored a team-high of 23 points, Forbes had 16, Derrick White delivered 17 and Keldon Johnson finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs.
Thaddeus Young came off the bench to score 10. “I love having the ball, no matter what,” said Murray, who finished with nine assists. “I take pride in being a pass-first point guard, but also being ready when my number is called.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the injury-hit Bucks who were missing Brook Lopez (back), Jrue Holiday (ankle) and Donte DiVincenzo (ankle surgery).
The Spurs were playing the third game of a road trip and coming off a disappointing 104-99 loss to Dallas. “Obviously, it’s a good win against the NBA champions,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
“They were missing a pretty big piece tonight but it happens to all of us.” San Antonio’s mostly inexperienced squad outscored Milwaukee 33-26 in the final quarter. The Spurs played without starting forward Doug McDermott, who has an injured knee.
In Washington, Bradley Beal scored a team-high of 36 points and Kyle Kuzma grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds as the Washington Wizards continued their hot start to the season by beating the Boston Celtics 115-112 in double overtime.—APP
