Wizards plagued by sloppiness in loss to Bucks

No matter the opponent, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is capable of producing multiple freakish-like plays per game.

His latest highlight — this time against the Washington Wizards — was finding Khris Middleton for an easy transition dunk where he literally hiked the ball between his legs in the fourth quarter.

But for the Wizards, the sequence was part of a larger problem in Monday’s 104-95 loss. The Wizards were sloppy on offense and couldn’t contain the ball. Middleton’s dunk, in particular, was the result of a failure to scoop up an offensive rebound and a heavily contested jumper.

Still, whether it was the rare 2 p.m. start on Martin Luther King Day or the start of a concerning trend, the Wizards couldn’t stop turning over the ball against the Bucks. Part of that was to be expected, given the Bucks’ trapping style forces 14.3 turnovers per game — which ranks 10th best in the league.

But the Wizards finished with a season-high 24 turnovers, 17 of which came in the first half. They entered Monday’s game with just 13.4 per game, but Washington has now committed more than 20 turnovers in three of its last five games.

“Sometimes [the turnovers are] just over-dribbling and sometimes it’s not being in the right spot,” said Wizards guard John Wall, who had four turnovers. “Sometimes it’s just forcing too much. That’s all there is to say.”

Added Wizards coach Scott Brooks: “Twenty-four turnovers is basically one whole entire quarter not playing offense. It’s hard to win that way.”

Wall said the Wizards put themselves in the position to lose, citing the turnovers and fouls down the stretch.

Again, Washington struggled in the clutch. Tied at 93 with just over five minutes to go, the Wizards then went 1-for-9 from the field. The Wizards got looks, but couldn’t get baskets to keep them in the game.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, closed the game on an 11-2 run.

“They use their length pretty well,” said forward Otto Porter, who had just six points. “They close up the paint. They force you to shoot jump shots, which is their game-plan.”

Monday marked the second meeting between the Wizards and the Bucks in the last nine days. In the prior game, Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova was ejected for taking out Bradley Beal. The Wizards ultimately ended up losing 110-103, but Wall blasted Dellavedova after the game, calling him a dirty player.

This game, however, didn’t feature the same amount of chippiness, aside from an early double technical given to Martin Gortat and Eric Bledsoe for a brief shoving display in front of the referees.

The Wizards, though, had to fight off sluggishness on the offensive end. The Bucks climbed out to a 10-3 lead, in part, because of careless turnovers. The Wizards eventually erased the lead — leading 30-28 at the end of the first quarter. Wall had 16 at the end of the first.

Behind Antetokounmpo, the Bucks took a 53-51 lead into halftime. Antetokounmpo has transformed into an MVP candidate in his fifth season, and he was again a nightmare matchup for the Wizards.

Brooks said before the game that having Otto Porter back would help contain Antetokounmpo after Porter missed the last meeting because of a hip injury.

Like any great offensive player, Antetokounmpo still got his — finishing with 27 points, 20 rebounds and six assists.

The Bucks carried a 78-72 lead into the start of the fourth quarter, which was almost nine until a Kelly Oubre 3-pointer at the buzzer cut the Wizards’ deficit to six.

Washington raced backed with a 10-0 run to take a 80-78 lead on a Wall alley-oop to Tomas Satoransky.

The Bucks, however, pulled away thanks to Antetokounmpo and more careless play from the Wizards. The Wizards shot just 42 percent — and just 33 percent in the second half.

The Wizards also failed to capitalize on a five-game homestand, having gone just 2-3. They now face an upcoming five-game road trip.

“We’re still trying to figure it out, but we just have to get focused for this five game road trip,” Porter said. “We’re definitely going to go back to the drawing board and work out what we need to do to continue to protect the ball and not turn it over.”