The Milwaukee Bucks had plenty to like through three quarters Wednesday night. Then the fourth quarter showed up and ripped the opener away.
Washington closed hard, outscoring Milwaukee 38-23 in the final frame and turning a tight game into a 128-116 Wizards win. The Bucks were in position after three quarters, but the last 12 minutes belonged entirely to Washington.
Milwaukee got strong early production from its newcomers, especially Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Herro wasted no time showing he can handle a bigger load with his new team.
He scored 14 points in the first half, hit 50% of his shots, and finished with 24 points and nine assists. He went 9-for-21 from the field and 4-for-11 from deep, scoring in the paint, off the dribble and from the perimeter while also setting up teammates.
Jaquez made an immediate impact in his first game as a Buck as well. He ended the night with 22 points and seven rebounds on 8-for-12 shooting.
Most of that damage came inside, and he jumped out fast by scoring seven of Milwaukee’s 13 points in the first quarter. The rest of the Bucks’ starters combined for 25 points, which made Jaquez’s output even more important.
Still, Milwaukee never found an answer for Anthony Davis, who put up 34 points and 11 rebounds. As the game wore on, the Wizards’ offense kept finding easier looks, and the Bucks couldn’t get enough shots to fall when it mattered most.
That was the difference. Washington scored 39 points in the third quarter to trim the gap to three, then took over completely in the fourth.
Milwaukee shot just 7-for-21 in the final period and allowed 24 points in the paint, while the Wizards hit 15 of 21 shots. What had looked like a solid night through three quarters unraveled quickly once the game got to the finish line.
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