MILWAUKEE _ The Joe Prunty Interim Era is officially underway for the Milwaukee Bucks.
In his first game since taking the coaching reins after Jason Kidd's shocking firing earlier Monday, Prunty watched the Bucks earn a 109-105 victory over the Phoenix Suns at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
To make matters harder for Prunty, the interim coach was without All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo sat out his second straight game to rest his sore right knee. He plans to return to action Friday against the Brooklyn Nets at the Bradley Center.
But the Bucks had their guards fill the scoring void, with Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon combining for 86 points.
After missing the Bucks' 116-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday due to personal reasons, Brogdon finished with a career-high 32 points. Middleton led the way with 35 points.
T.J. Warren led the Suns (17-30) with 23 points.
Prunty saw his new charges quickly fell behind, 10-2. But thanks to an unsightly eight turnovers by the Suns and Middleton's 6-of-9 shooting for 13 points, the Bucks battled back to take a 30-26 lead after the first quarter.
Bledsoe took over scoring duties in the second quarter, notching eight points against the team that traded him to the Bucks in November. The game was tied at 53 at halftime.
Another big piece of that trade, Greg Monroe, led Phoenix with 12 points in the first half. It was his first game at the Bradley Center since getting dealt by the Bucks.
The teams continued to battle evenly through the third quarter, though the Suns closed with a 10-2 run to take a 79-76 lead heading into the fourth.
Middleton had nine points in the third, while Brogdon added seven.
Brogdon surpassed his career high when he hit a 3-pointer to give him 24 points and the Bucks an 85-83 lead with 6:53 remaining.
That 3-pointer was part of a 14-2 run that started when Brogdon checked back into the game.
The Suns got to within 101-100 with just over a minute left. But on their next possession Isaiah Canaan and Troy Daniels both missed 3-pointers.
A Brogdon steal followed by a Middleton jumper gave the Bucks a 105-100 lead with 24.3 seconds to go
Brogdon's previous high of 22 points was accomplished twice, against the Washington Wizards as a rookie last season and against the Cleveland Cavaliers in November.
