There is one thing that the Milwaukee Bucks have yet to do this season that every other team in the NBA has – lose consecutive games.
After falling to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, that streak was in jeopardy when Milwaukee trailed the Utah Jazz by 11 points in the second half on Mpnday.
To spark the Bucks' come-from-behind win, Giannis Antetokounmpo dunked all over the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
The Greek Freak dunks ON the Defensive Player of the Year!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/2bZpOMlTNX
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 8, 2019
Then, it was a Thon Makers and-1 to bring his team within one.
Hustle & the finish!! 💪#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/xVHlpF1Lvm
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 8, 2019
Following a Gobert layup on the next possession, the Bucks made their final late push.
Milwaukee went on a 12-3 run to take a 100-94 lead with six minutes left to play and never looked back. The Jazz cut the deficit back to three with four minutes on the clock but a clutch 3-pointer by Malcolm Brogdon, who is having the quietest 50-40-90 shooting season, followed by an emphatic dunk from Antetokounmpo put the game out of reach.
Just in case an eight-point lead with just over two minutes remaining wasn't safe enough, Brook Lopez buried a deep 3-pointer to send the Jazz home with a loss.
Milwaukee held Utah to just 16 points in the fourth quarter to come away with the 114-102 win. The game was neck-and-neck throughout it's entirety with 24 lead changes and 10 ties.
The major difference came with the Bucks outscoring the Jazz 68-36 in the paint – not exactly the outcome you'd expect against one of the league's elite rim protectors.
Milwaukee finished 5-1 on its six game homestand, moving a half-game ahead of the Raptors for first place in the East at 28-11.
The Bucks will be on the road for five of their next six contests starting Wednesday at Houston in a showdown of MVP front runners.