Warriors' rookie electrifies home crowd with inspiring second-half v Bucks
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Rookie big man Trayce Jackson-Davis has electrified his home crowd with a remarkable second-half in the Golden State Warriors' 125-90 blowout victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
Jackson-Davis blocked two-time MVP Giannis Antetekounmpo not once, not twice, but three times during a remarkable sequence in the third-quarter. The 24-year-old also converted both plays with hammer dunks on the other end, proving pivotal in snuffing out a Bucks' comeback effort from earlier in the period.
Trayce Jackson-Davis has won more plaudits after an incredible second-half display in the Golden State Warriors' blowout win on Wednesday
After just 38 first-half points in Sunday's embarrassing blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, the Warriors came out firing with 40 points in the first-quarter alone. They then had 78 by half-time, aided by 17 points from Stephen Curry, 16 from Jonathan Kuminga, and six points and six assists from Chris Paul off the bench.
While they found themselves up 20 at the main interval, such leads have never proven safe for Golden State this season. Milwaukee quickly cut the deficit to six in the third, raising anxiety for Warrior fans who'd seen this storyline too many times before.
Enter Jackson-Davis who, after four points and two rebounds in the first-half, turned the anxiety into pandemonium with his sequence of spectacular plays on Antetekounmpo in the last five minutes of the third-quarter.
This is not a replay. Another block into slam sequence from TJD. https://t.co/bp643Y5RfV pic.twitter.com/MbGO0poloh
— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2024
When Moses Moody picked Damian Lillard for a slam, then Draymond Green finished a layup from a ninth Paul assist, the Warriors all of a sudden found themselves back up 16 less than a minute into the final period.
From there Golden State kept rolling in a dominant fourth-quarter, with the crowd's energy lifting even more on the back of a pair of Green threes over Bucks' center Brook Lopez. They kept Milwaukee to just nine points for the quarter, running away with a comfortable 35-point victory.
Curry led the Warriors with 29 points, eight rebounds, five assists and six made threes, while Kuminga stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points (9-of-14 shooting), four rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks.
Jackson-Davis was the story though, having finished with 15 points, six rebounds, four blocks and a steal in less than 19 minutes. The 57th overall pick went 7-of-8 from the field and was a +20 in his minutes -- second on the team behind Moody's +22.
Antetekounmpo had threatened to take over the game early in the third-quarter, but Jackson-Davis ensured the Bucks' superstar would finish with a below average 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Milwaukee would finish shooting 38.2% from the floor and 28.2% from three-point range, while Golden State had 37 assists, shot 56% from the floor and 48.7% from beyond the arc.
It was a much needed response from the Warriors after Sunday's defeat, pushing them back on track and once again five games over .500 at 33-28. They'll look to continue the momentum when the Chicago Bulls visit Chase Center on Thursday in the second night of a back-to-back.
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