LOS ANGELES: Khris Middleton scored 40 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks withstand a 55-point outburst from Washington’s Bradley Beal in a 137-134 NBA overtime victory on Monday.
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled out and the Bucks, who led by as many as 20 points, were in trouble in Washington.
But Middleton, with key support from Eric Bledsoe and Robin Lopez, pulled out the victory. For much of the night, it looked like the league-leading Bucks — who secured a playoff berth on Sunday to set a record for the earliest clinch in NBA history — would celebrate with a win.
But Beal scored 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Wizards rallied from a 15-point deficit. When Antetokounmpo, limited by foul trouble throughout the second half, fouled out with 1:36 left in the fourth, the Bucks’ lead was just three points.
Beal knotted the score with a 3-pointer, and after neither team could break the deadlock in regulation, the Wizards gained a four-point edge with less than two minutes remaining in overtime.
