LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Kevin Durant scored 33 points as the Golden State Warriors secured their seventh straight victory with a roller coaster 124-121 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Durant led the scoring with teammate Klay Thompson adding 29 as the Warriors held off a ferocious Bucks rally in the fourth quarter to take the win.
Milwaukee had recovered from a 14-point deficit in the final quarter and closed to 122-120 after Jabari Parker made a three-point play with 2:33 on the clock.
The Bucks had a chance to take the lead when Giannis Antetokounmpo forced a turnover but was unable to convert a floater.
Mirza Teletovic also missed with an open three-pointer, handing Golden State possession with 93 seconds on the clock to close out the win.
‘‘We’ve played in some tight games but not down to the wire like this,’’ said Durant.
‘‘It was a good test for us in the second night of a back-to-back to see how we’d respond coming to a building with a lot of energy facing a young team that was ready for us.’’
Bucks coach Jason Kidd praised his team’s character but admitted they had paid the price for failing to make the most of their late chances.
‘‘The guys fought for 48 minutes,’’ Kidd said. ‘‘When you’re playing against a team like the Warriors, you want to have an opportunity.
‘‘Defensively, we got the stops. Offensively, we just couldn’t get the ball to go in. We had some great looks there. Giannis’ layup just rimmed out, Mirza was wide open for a three,’’ he added.
‘‘That’s the game of basketball. When you play against elite teams, you just want an opportunity. We had our opportunities tonight. They just didn’t fall for us.’’
The Warriors, who improved to 11-2, faced no such problems. Thompson and Durant combined to go 19-for-34 from the field with 10 three-pointers.
The Dubs made 14 of 38 three-point attempts, while Stephen Curry chipped in with 20 points and Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala 10 apiece.
‘‘Any win on the road is a good win,’’ Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
‘‘Any win period is a good win, but especially on a back-to-back on a night when we didn’t quite have it. Our opponent played an exceptional game. I thought Milwaukee was fantastic. We were able to pull it out. We got some stops down the stretch and some rebounds. We did what we needed to do.’’