Gobert, Jazz beat Bucks 129-115 for 6th straight win

SALT LAKE CITY — Rudy Gobert had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Milwaukee Bucks 129-115 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.

Joe Ingles tied his career high with 27 points as Utah won for the 17th time in 18 games to improve to an NBA-best 21-5. Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, and Jordan Clarkson had 25.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 of his 29 points in the second half, but Milwaukee dropped its second straight game after a five-game win streak. Brook Lopez had 23 points, and Khris Middleton finished with 18.

The Jazz led by as many as 21 when Mitchell fed Derrick Favors for an alley-oop layup to make it 89-68 with 3:39 left in the third quarter.

Mitchell’s 3 sparked a 14-5 run to end the first half, and the Bucks never got the deficit within single digits again.

The Bucks had scored at least 120 points in a franchise-record six straight games, but they often looked out of sync against the Jazz’s multiple defensive looks.

Ingles had a career-high 20 points in the first half as the Jazz took a 69-52 lead.

THIS TIME AROUND

Utah knocked down a franchise-record 25 3-pointers in a 131-118 victory at Milwaukee on Jan. 8. This time, the Jazz got a lot of their points by driving to the basket and getting to the line. They went 14 for 38 from beyond the arc and 29 for 34 at the free-throw line.

WORTH NOTING

Bill Kennedy and Brian Forte were the only two officials on the court. Jonathan Sterling was unavailable because of COVID-19 protocols.

TIP-INS

Bucks: Jrue Holiday sat out his third game in a row due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols for COVID-19. … Pat Connaughton matched his career high with three steals.

Jazz: Mike Conley missed his third consecutive game with a tight hamstring. … The Jazz packed the paint all game on defense and picked up two defensive 3-second violations along the way.