Anthony Davis scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Washington Wizards to a 128-116 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks in the teams’ season opener Wednesday night.
Trae Young added 20 points and a game-high 13 assists for the Wizards, while Kyshawn George scored 18 points.
In their first game with Milwaukee after being included in the offseason trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, Tyler Herro led the Bucks with 24 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 22. Fellow former Heat player Kasparas Jakucionis added 15 points off the bench.
Leading 93-90 entering the fourth quarter, Washington took over in front of its home crowd.
After trailing by as many as eight, the Wizards went on a 21-2 run in the fourth to build a 111-98 lead. Washington opened the quarter by making its first nine shots from the floor.
The scoring in the fourth came from a variety of sources, with seven players posting at least four points as Washington outscored Milwaukee 38-23 to secure the victory.
The Wizards did most of their damage without the 3-pointer. They made just three shots from beyond the arc in the second half while scoring 77 points.
Davis made his presence felt early, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds in the first quarter. The Wizards took a 25-23 lead into the second.
Milwaukee bounced back in the second, outscoring Washington 33-26 behind seven points from Herro, who also scored seven in the first quarter. The Bucks led 56-51 at halftime despite shooting 5-for-17 from 3-point range. Washington was 3-for-17.
The shooting improved in the third, as Milwaukee went 6-for-11 from beyond the arc and was led by Jaquez’s 10 points. However, another dominant stretch from Davis, who scored 18 points, helped Washington win the quarter 39-37 and take a 93-90 lead into the fourth.
Washington has won four straight games against Milwaukee after taking the final three meetings last season, snapping the Bucks’ seven-year winning streak in the season series.
