Warriors overcome spirited Bucks for 30th straight home win

It wasn't easy, but the Golden State Warriors are on a winning streak once again.

The Warriors withstood a stiff test Friday from the only team to have defeated them this season, erasing an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 121-112 and improve to 26-1.

It was the second straight win for the Warriors, who won 24 in a row to start the season before the Bucks beat them last Saturday. It was also their 30th straight win at home, making them the ninth team in NBA history to achieve that feat.

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Perhaps given a little added fuel when the Warriors responded to Bucks fans' "24-1" T-shirts by rolling out their own "10-18" edition - a nod to the record they'd drop Milwaukee to with a win - the Bucks came out like gangbusters. From the opening tip, they seemed out to prove that their momentous streak-busting victory had been no fluke. They were flying all over the court, whipping the ball around on offense, playing active and handsy defense, and knocking down every jumper in sight.

Behind tremendous two-way performances from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Michael Carter-Williams, the Bucks built a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter, and looked well on their way to a second straight stunning upset of the defending champs.

Even as the Warriors started to chip away, Milwaukee maintained a double-digit edge with just under eight minutes to play. But eight minutes is an eternity against the Warriors, for whom scoring in bunches is a way of life. The game was tied less than two minutes later.

At that point, with Oracle Arena at a fever-pitch frenzy, the young Bucks were in tough. They fought to the bitter end, but they couldn't stem the tide, and as the T-shirts had prophesied, they fell to 10-18. Good luck figuring out this team, which came into the season with great expectations, stumbled out of the gate, then notched that massive win over Golden State, then immediately turned around and lost to the moribund Los Angeles Lakers, then came into the lion's den and nearly stole another one from the Warriors. Needless to say, consistency hasn't been their strong suit.

For the Warriors, it was the stars who carried them across the finish line on a night of uncharacteristic struggles from the majority of the supporting cast. Steph Curry finished with a near triple-double of 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, and helped put the game away with a flurry of threes, driving layups, assists, and free throws down the stretch.

While Curry was in a lull, though, it was Draymond Green who kept Golden State afloat, playing the role of point-forward to perfection and going on a personal 8-0 run to slash the deficit to three in the fourth quarter. He finished with 21 points, nine boards, and eight assists in a game-high 40 minutes.

Though the Warriors ultimately got their "revenge" for the lone stain the Bucks put on their record, head coach Luke Walton was less than pleased with his team's effort and focus in the early going.

And thus, regrettably, ends the regular-season series between these two teams. Never say never, of course, but with the way things are going for the Bucks, it doesn't appear a meeting in the NBA Finals is in the cards.

There's always 2016-17.