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Warriors hit 19 3-pointers to beat Bucks

MILWAUKEE — Klay Thompson sidestepped two defenders to get an open look, hit a 3 from the wing and then coolly walked toward the baseline to guard the next inbounds pass.

The Golden State Warriors taught the Milwaukee Bucks a lesson about hitting 3s and playing D.

Thompson and Stephen Curry each scored 20 points and hit 4 of 9 from beyond the arc, and the Warriors hit 19 3-pointers as they wrapped up a five-game trip with a 105-95 victory on Friday night for their third straight win.

Andre Iguodala added a season-high 15 points for Golden State, which pulled away in the second half with another hot stretch from the 3-point line. The Warriors went 6-of-9 from beyond the arc in a roughly six-minute period that started with Curry’s 3 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter to build an 11-point lead.

The Warriors shot 41 percent (19-of-46) from long distance against the Bucks, the league’s highest-scoring team. The Bucks were just 7-of-39 (18 percent) from 3-point territory.

“Defense hasn’t been that great, so it’s good to finally put together a game where we hold an opponent to a not so great 3-point percentage,” Thompson said. “That did feel really good, I’m not going to lie.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Malcom Brogdon added 15 points.

But Milwaukee couldn’t keep up with Golden State’s barrage, missing too many 3s despite scoring 26 points off 18 turnovers.

“They do a lot of things that they do to everybody — kind of switch, muck it up, make it to where it’s not easy … to get shots against them,” Bucks coach Mike Budeholzer said.

A game of fits and starts typically had the Warriors building a three-possession lead, only for the Bucks to answer and get within a bucket. Curry’s 3 late in the third put the Warriors ahead to stay, answering Ersan Ilyasova’s bucket that capped a 12-2 run that briefly gave the Bucks a 74-72 lead.

Golden State cut down on turnovers in the second half while forcing more Milwaukee mistakes and misses. The Warriors avenged a 134-111 loss to Milwaukee on Nov. 8.

“This was a game that meant a lot to us,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We were embarrassed a few weeks ago.”

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