Clippers 127, Bucks 120: Giannis Antetokounmpo sprains right ankle and doesn't finish game

The Milwaukee Bucks fell on Wednesday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, 127-120, to the Los Angeles Clippers, a team on a four-game losing streak that also was battling against an oppressive schedule having played Tuesday in Minnesota with Wednesday's game representing their fifth in seven days.

For the Bucks, the contest represented their latest exercise in defensive futility with the Clippers riding DeAndre Jordan (25 points, 22 rebounds) to dominate inside early and 9 of 15 three-point shooting in the second half to balloon their margin as high as 19 points after halftime.

BOX SCORE: Clippers 127, Bucks 120

RELATED: Bucks GM responds to reports about Jabari Parker, Joe Prunty

With just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles had already established itself as the seventh straight team to top 110 points against Milwaukee.

“Better not be," Bucks coach Joe Prunty said when asked if the team's defensive confidence is shaken. "We need to come out focused and aggressive from the jump. That’s about as important as anything is the mental approach to it. We need to come out and set a tone and we need to sustain it for 48 minutes."

Unfortunately for the Bucks, as poorly as the game went, their latest defeat wasn't their most troubling loss of the night.

That's because all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo was unable to complete the game after retreating to the locker room with a sprained right ankle with four minutes left in the second quarter.

“I don’t have an official update at this time," Prunty said after the game.

Antetokounmpo was not at his locker following the game, which is not atypical in situations when a player sustains an in-game injury. He did make a brief appearance on his way out, though.

A woman carrying a puppy entered the locker room, drawing the attention of center John Henson, who was finishing up getting dressed. Henson then accompanied the woman and the puppy to the training area and called for Antetokounmpo. Minutes later, Antetokounmpo emerged carrying the dog and made a bee-line for the exit, sporting only a slight limp as he did not offer any comment on the way out.

Antetokounmpo sustained his injury with 5 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter on a play where most eyes were on Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe depositing a layup. While Bledsoe was in midair, Antetokounmpo ran in from behind and got his right leg tangled up with Clippers guard Austin Rivers, rolling his ankle and immediately going to the ground.

Antetokounmpo stayed in the game until the Clippers called timeout with four minutes on the clock. He then walked to the locker room under his own power for further examination.

During halftime, the team learned Antetokounmpo would not be able to return and that news began to trickle out before the third quarter began. His absence didn't immediately have a negative impact on the Bucks, but ultimately played a noticeable role in their defeat.

"He's our main guy," Khris Middleton said of Antetokounmpo being out. "The attention he creates on the offensive end, we definitely missed that throughout the whole game when he was out. We're a team, so when he goes out we can't give up. We know what we can do as a team, and tonight we just didn't do it."

Milwaukee, which surrendered a 13-0 run to end the first quarter and trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, chipped away at a 10-point deficit early in the third quarter with a quick 8-0 run. The Bucks looked like they were about to get the game back to even but a Jabari Parker layup in transition rolled out and Parker's attempt to tip it back in fell short.

It took less than three minutes for the Clippers to return their lead to double digits as Rivers and Tobias Harris took turns splashing jumpers, including back-to-back three-pointers.

The margin hit 19 points with just under 8 1/2 minutes left in the game, but the Bucks found a way to make things interesting. Milwaukee cut the deficit to five with 1 minute, 46 seconds left on a three-pointer by Bledsoe then decided to intentionally send Jordan to the free-throw line and take their chances with the career 44.6% free-throw shooter.

Jordan made one of two and Bucks center Thon Maker got a great look on a corner three-pointer that was off the mark. Parker immediately fouled Jordan again and the Clippers center made both shots to put the Bucks in an eight-point hole with 1 1/2 minutes left.

But the Bucks still didn't go away.

Middleton, who finished with a team-high 23 points, deposited a layup then stole the ensuing inbound pass, which led to a dunk for Maker.

That's when Rivers forcibly put the Bucks away. With one minute on the clock, Rivers buried a three-pointer then turned and had some words for the Milwaukee bench. That triple put Rivers at 22 points on the night, including 5 of 9 from three-point range.

The Bucks got 20 points from Parker, who played a season-high 30 minutes and Bledsoe added 19 points and eight assists in the loss.

“Scoring wasn’t an issue," Prunty said. “For us right now, the stats that we’re concerned with are the fact that we have to defend better."

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

In his only trip to Milwaukee this season, Clippers coach Doc Rivers was asked for his thoughts about Marquette, where he starred as a player from 1980-'83.

"I love where they played the last couple games in the NIT," he said of the Al McGuire Center. "That was really cool. I’ve always wished, I guess at the MECCA we did it, but an on-campus arena. A small one: 12,000-14,000.

"I’ve always kind of hoped for that."

Rivers also professed his admiration for MU senior guard Andrew Rowsey, who set the school record for points in a season with 716.

"He can shoot the ball," Rivers said. "Shooting helps, I wish I had been able to shoot when I was in college."

UP NEXT

Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (37-34) at Chicago Bulls (24-46).

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Where: United Center.

About the Bulls: Chicago won the first two matchups this season at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. But Milwaukee won in Chicago, 110-96, on Jan. 28 behind Antetokounmpo's 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. The Bucks have won three straight games on the road against the Bulls.