National Basketball Association
Washington 107, Milwaukee 102
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 26, 2016
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia
Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #28 Kevin Scott, #31 Scott Wall
Attendance: 15773

WASHINGTON -- Christmas came late for Otto Porter and the Washington Wizards.

They were nonetheless excited about unwrapping a revenge-win over the Milwaukee Bucks a day after Santa Claus made his rounds all the same.

Porter scored 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and the Wizards rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit for a 107-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

John Wall contributed 18 points and a season-high 16 assists for the Wizards (14-16). Washington was a different team in the home-and-home rematch compared to a 123-96 loss Friday at Milwaukee.

"It didn't sit right with us going into Christmas," Porter said of the decisive loss. "We definitely wanted this game." Porter showed no signs of fatigue late despite being one of three starters to play over 40 minutes. Perhaps that's because when asked about his best Christmas present this year, Washington's most tireless worker answered, "Sleep."

The former Georgetown star drained five 3-pointers, including a long ball from the corner for a 104-100 lead with 49 seconds left. His shot from beyond the arc started a 15-2 run after the Bucks (14-15) took their largest lead at 96-86 lead as Malcolm Brogdon's jumper capped a 12-2 spurt.

"We're going to learn and we're going to get better from this," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "It's not easy to win on the road. We put ourselves in a position to win. We just didn't close the door."

Perhaps, but a similar story unfolded in the previous on Washington's home court, a 110-105 loss on Dec. 10 in which the Wizards trailed 100-95 with 4:28 remaining.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo impressed with 22 points and 12 rebounds Monday, but that production didn't match his 39 points in the home victory.

Washington made three of four free throws in the final 13.1 seconds to seal the victory. The final pair from Bradley Beal, who scored 16 of his 22 after halftime, came after Tony Snell missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 7.8 seconds to go.

The Wizards had won six of eight before facing the home-and-home series against the Bucks.

Porter went 20 of 27 from the field, 9 of 14 on 3-pointers and averaged 25 points in the back-to-back games. Washington needed his 18 first-half points with Wall and Beal slow early.

"He's going to score. He's versatile. At the same time, we haven't respected him both games," Brogdon said of Porter. "We really concentrated on Beal and Wall and did a pretty good job. I think we need to show him more respect (when) we play them again."

Markieff Morris scored 18 for Washington. His basket with 3:08 remaining put Washington up for good at 99-98.

Comparatively speaking, Washington played better defense in the rematch, though Milwaukee led 57-53 at halftime. Snell, a 30 percent 3-point shooter on the season, made his first five attempts from beyond the arc for 15 points in the first half before the crowd of 15,773. He finished with 20 points, but missed five of his last six 3-point tries.

Washington shot 50.6 percent from the field and sank 12 of 29 3-point attempts. Milwaukee shot 47.1 percent overall but just 9 of 24 (37.5 percent) in the fourth quarter.

Antetokounmpo had numerous dunks and layups against a suspect Wizards' defensive performance in Milwaukee. The fourth-year forward averaged 33.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in two previous games against Washington this season. He made 7 of 12 shots in the post-Christmas game but scored only two points in the fourth quarter.

"We just wanted to be more physical and not let him get easy lanes to the basket and be able to do what he wanted to," Wall said of defending Antetokounmpo. "We just wanted to make sure guys were feeling him."

Milwaukee played without several key contributors but did have Michael Beasley (foot) available for the first time since Dec. 12. He broke an 84-all tie with three straight field goals early in the fourth quarter and wound up with eight points. Brogdon finished with six of Milwaukee's 30 bench points.

NOTES: Washington's bench scored two points in the second half. ... Milwaukee played without F Mirza Teletovic, who collided with Washington F Jason Smith in Friday's game and sustained concussion symptoms. Teletovic scored a season-high 25 points with five 3-pointers at Washington on Dec. 10. F Steve Novak (illness) also did not play Monday. G Rashad Vaughn (sprained left ankle) did not travel with the Bucks. ... Smith (wrist) scored three points in six minutes Monday. ... Milwaukee plays at Detroit on Wednesday. The Bucks lost the first meeting, also on the road, 98-83. ... The Wizards host the Pacers on Wednesday in the middle contest of a three-game homestand. F Thaddeus Young's basket with 0.9 seconds gave Indiana a 107-105 home victory over Washington on Dec. 19.
Top Game Performances
 
Milwaukee   Washington
Giannis Antetokounmpo 22 Scoring Otto Porter Jr. 32
Matthew Dellavedova 11 Assists John Wall 16
Giannis Antetokounmpo 13 Rebounds Otto Porter Jr. 14
Giannis Antetokounmpo 8 Free Throws Made Bradley Beal 9
Michael Beasley 2 Steals Bradley Beal 2
Giannis Antetokounmpo 1 Blocks Markieff Morris 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Milwaukee 102 46.0 6-20 16-23 27 42 2 8 14
Washington 107 50.6 12-29 15-20 29 40 6 7 17
Upcoming Games
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Wizards have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • Milwaukee will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Bucks have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .571 after a loss.