Bucks topple Suns 104-101 for 14th consecutive win

Jrue Holiday scored 33 points, Brook Lopez made a tiebreaking layup with 24.8 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Phoenix Suns 104-101 for their 14th consecutive victory in a nationally televised game on Sunday.

Victory SUNday. pic.twitter.com/L5iBeIjNqT

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 26, 2023

Both teams missed their star players in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.

Antetokounmpo was out with a bruised right quadriceps after leaving in the first quarter of the Bucks’ 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday.

Durant has yet to appear in a game for the Suns and hasn’t played since Jan. 8 because of sprained right medial collateral ligament.

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“It’s enough where he can’t play today, but I think we’re also confident that this is just a fairly common occurrence in our league,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game.

“You hit knees, you knock, sometimes it takes a day or two, and it’s really nothing more than that. The level of conversations have all been kind of along that line.”

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton had 22 and Chris Paul added 18 for Phoenix

Booker increased his career point total to 12,143 to overtake Shawn Marion (12,134) for fourth place on the Suns’ all-time list.

Тhe Suns visit the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday in the second game of a four-game trip. The Bucks visit the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.