NEW YORK _ The Milwaukee Bucks wanted to send All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo off to New Orleans on the right note Wednesday night at the Barclays Center.
And they did it the hard way, holding off a late rally by the Brooklyn Nets to claim a 129-125 victory.
Antetokounmpo did his part with 33 points and nine rebounds, and Greg Monroe added 25 points and eight rebounds for Milwaukee (25-30), which won its third straight game.
Khris Middleton hit four clutch free throws and a baseline jumper down the stretch to help the Bucks preserve their victory. He finished with 20 points and seven assists.
Brook Lopez scored a game-high 36 points for the Nets (9-47), who lost their 14th straight game and 16th in a row at home. Spencer Dinwiddie added 19 and fueled Brooklyn's fourth-quarter comeback.
The Bucks led by as many as 12 points in the first half but the Nets trailed by only two at intermission, 62-60.
Lopez scored 22 points and Bogdanovic added 12 to that point.
Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 17 points and five rebounds and Monroe had 15 points and four rebounds in the half.
