NEW ORLEANS – The Milwaukee Bucks nearly rallied from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit before falling short in a 107-100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center.

Milwaukee (46-27) cut the deficit to 98-93 on a Damian Lillard three-pointer with 3 minutes 27 seconds remaining but Zion Williamson made four straight free throws while the Bucks missed 2 three-pointers to effectively end the game. Another Lillard three made it 105-100 with 17 seconds left, but the Pelicans continued to make their free throws as the Bucks had to foul to try and create extra possessions.

Box score: Pelicans 107, Bucks 100

It was a tough start to a three-game, six-day road trip for the Bucks, who have struggled on the road all season. The Pelicans improved to 45-28 overall and 10-3 in March.

Williamson scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, including seven free throws. He led the Pelicans with 28 points. CJ MCollum had 25 points and handed out seven assists. Jonas Valančiūnas had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Trey Murphy III had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Herb Jones had 11 points, four steals and three blocks to lead New Orleans’ defensive effort.

Giannis Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 35 points and 14 rebounds while Lillard and Malik Beasley had 20 points each. Lillard also had seven assists. Khris Middleton was just 3-for-12 for seven points, though he handed out six assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has monster third quarter trying to rally Bucks

The Bucks looked adrift in the opening minutes of the third quarter, trailing 66-53 with just over eight minutes left when Antetokounmpo found a phone booth and came out with his cape. His tough and-one on Zion Williamson started a personal 20-point run that lasted until 2:22 remained in the quarter and the Bucks trailed 80-73.

Antetokounmpo played the entire quarter, going 8-for-9 with his lone miss being a three-pointer. He also was 4-for-9 from the free throw line in scoring those 20 points.

"I was just trying to be aggressive," Antetokounmpo said. "I feel like I've played so much off the ball, especially the last couple of games. I'm just trying to be aggressive, I tried to find my spots, tried to figure out and read the game and feel the game and how the game's going to be officiated moving forward.

"They don't give a lot of contact plays anymore. That's what I feel. But I'm just trying to be aggressive, like trying to unlock things. Like, keep people honest. At the end of the day, I want to make something happen, I want to get in the paint, I want to create for my teammates but like gotta mix in one or two shots just to keep 'em honest. That's what I was trying to do. I was trying to be aggressive."

Middleton played nearly that entire time alongside him, handing out four assists.

Unfortunately for the Bucks, Murphy hit 2 three-pointers and Larry Nance Jr. hit one as well to offset Antetokounmpo’s efforts an maintain a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter at 85-73.

"The only disappointing part for me was we got away from it," Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. "When you fall on something that works. We literally scored, either or Giannis or somebody, probably 12, 13 straight times, and then we just literally went away from it just four plays, four misses, bam, they score, it goes back 10. It's a good lesson for us."

In the fourth quarter, however, he was just 1-for-1 in just under eight minutes of play, and that shot didn't come until less than 30 seconds remained.

"I was off the ball," Antetokounmpo said. "The ball never got to me. The way I play, I don't want to force things. When you force things it looks bad. Just gotta play within the flow of the offense and sometimes in the flow of the offense the ball doesn't come to you and you don't shoot as many shots as you want."

More: How Giannis Antetokounmpo learned to get over himself to play the best basketball of his career

Damian Lillard received stitches, missed most of third quarter

After playing the first 4:57 of the third quarter and going 1-for-3 from the floor, Lillard subbed out between a pair of Antetokounmpo free throws. He went right to the Bucks locker room and didn’t return until the quarter was about to end, a stretch that encompassed the final 7:03 of the quarter and roughly 13 minutes of real time.

His lip was split open, and he received stitches. This after he limped to the locker room at halftime.

"It was a play I went to box out and as we made contact I turned my head and I bit my lip," he said. "Had that. Play at the end of the half I got kneed in the back of my calf. You know, it was just a physical game."

Lillard had taken some hard falls – without fouls called – throughout the game.

"There was a lot of fouls not called," he said.

Lillard checked in to begin the fourth quarter and played all 12 minutes.

Pelicans turn game in second quarter with strong defense, offensive rebounding

Brook Lopez couldn’t believe it as Nance flung in a buzzer-beater off the glass to give the Pelicans a 61-45 halftime lead, with the Bucks center exasperated by the bad luck. Antetokounmpo and Middleton had just played almost an entire shot clock’s worth of good defense on Williamson and McCollum to force a long, contested three by McCollum that clanged off the front of the rim – only for it to ricochet right to Nance.

It was the fifth offensive rebound of the quarter and the ninth point scored off those second-chance opportunities for the Pelicans. The Bucks also turned the ball over three times in the quarter, which led to five Pelicans points.

Those 14 “extra” points accounted for nearly all of New Orleans’ halftime lead.

"That's where I feel like we lost the game," Beasley said. "Just kept running down and running back because of turnovers. I feel like the majority of our losses have come from us. It hasn't been too many times where I'm like, I mean respect to the Pelicans, but it hasn't been too many times where I'm like damn, they just beat our ass. We just gotta keep learning from each other.

"I don't think people realize this is only Khris' third game back with everybody, so we're still trying to figure a rhythm. He's doing an amazing job. He's my vet, talking to me all the time, and we all just gotta find that rhythm, figure out how we can get ready for playoffs. Around this time is where you start building momentum and figuring out the rotation and things like that."

Valančiūnas and McCollum each scored 11 points in the quarter, where the Pelicans outscored the Bucks 35-20.

"I just thought they played more physical," Lillard said. "They were the more aggressive team. I think usually the more aggressive team gets rewarded by the whistle. The game favors that team. I thought that's what they had going. The crowd got into it. They was able to get their hands on balls, they chased down offensive rebounds, got extra opportunities. They just played a better game than us. We got outplayed."

New Orleans used a 10-2 run in the opening minutes to extend a 26-25 first-quarter lead against the Bucks second unit led by Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee was 1-for-8 in that stretch.

"Just struggling," Rivers said of that grouping. "We got shots. They went zone a ton, we didn't run our zone offense very well. Pat (Beverley) is coming off the injury. Again, I always look, I should've put AJ (Green) in just for shooting. But we didn't get anything in that stretch. Their zone hurt us tonight. I think we're second in the league in our zone offense, tonight it wasn't effective. We'll look at it."

Following a timeout a Pat Connaughton three-pointer and layup by Lillard cut the Bucks' deficit to 38-32, but the Pelicans responded with an 11-2 stretch that gave them a comfortable 18-point advantage with under three minutes to go.

In the first half New Orleans came up with eight steals and blocked four shots, which offset a 4-for-18 performance from behind the three-point line.

"That's what they do, give them credit," Rivers said. "They're a big force turnovers team, they're a big offensive rebounding team. I thought the offensive rebounds came from dribble penetration. Guy drives, you see your big, it allows Valančiūnas and the other guys on the glass."

5 numbers in the Bucks vs. Pelicans game

5 Points off the bench for Bobby Portis, his fewest since Feb. 6. He had reached double figures in 14 of his previous 16 games since the all-star break. The Pelicans’ Larry Nance Jr. and Jonas Valančiūnas got under Portis’ skin early in the game, with Nance drawing Portis into a double personal foul and then Valančiūnas’ bumping led to Portis shoving CJ McCollum on a drive to a basket. On the ensuing Pelicans possession, Portis was called for an off-ball foul on Valančiūnas, which was reviewed briefly for flagrancy. Bucks coach Doc Rivers then sat Portis down with five personal fouls in just 16 minutes of action.

Rivers: "Bobby's gotta be better than he was tonight, bottom line. We need him too much. You can't get caught into a hand game 25 feet away from the basket and I think he got three fouls where he wasn't even in the play. That just can't happen. I don't care where your emotions go, but you gotta catch yourself. It's important to the team. I love that he's competitive. I love that he's a quote-unquote enforcer. But the great enforcers are the smart ones. They never get techs. Like, never. I played with Charles Oakley. Never got a tech. But he was doing something every night. So that's a lesson for Bobby. But we gotta get better. I probably should've taken him out right at the start of it and brought him back in, maybe give him a chance to gather himself. I left him out there. So, I looked at it, I probably should've taken him out just to give him a breath. I don't know Bobby well yet, but I know by leaving him in it wasn't smart. So that's a lesson for me."

15 Free throw disparity, as New Orleans attempted 34 to Milwaukee's 19. The Pelicans made 27 of them while the Bucks made 10.

Beasley: "They started off with physicality and we didn't bring it. A lot of our bigs got fouls. I feel like we had physicality, we just got the calls. So, you gotta move on and get two more, get two wins coming up."

17-19 Milwaukee’s road record this season. Orlando (17-19) is the only other team in the top six of the Eastern Conference playoff race to have a sub-.500 record on the road.

47 Technical fouls by Bucks players this season after Brook Lopez was assessed his seventh individual technical from the bench in the first quarter. Portis is the team leader with 11.

52 The place on the all-time assist list for Damian Lillard, who passed Allen Iverson against New Orleans. Lillard has 5,631 handouts. Michael Jordan is next for Lillard to catch with 5,633.

Pat Beverley plays through right wrist injury

Beverley missed Tuesday’s game against the Lakers with a right wrist sprain, and on his podcast the Bucks guard said he injured it before the team played Oklahoma City on March 24 and he suffered a torn ligament that may eventually require surgery. He participated in the Bucks’ shootaround Thursday and began the day probable to play vs. the Pelicans.

"I told them I'm going to check on Pat Beverley's podcast and find out if he's playing or not," Rivers quipped before the game. "I have not (subscribed). But I think I should. Because I need to find out what he's doing, clearly."

When informed by play-by-play voice Lisa Byington that Beverley had posted that he was going to play tonight, Rivers smiled.

"Did he post that he's playing? Then he's playing! This is where we're headed," Rivers said.

On a serious note, Rivers said he is not part of the decision between Beverley and the team's medical staff to play through the wrist injury.

Beverley played seven minutes against the Pelicans, going 0-for-4 from the floor with two rebounds.

More: Bucks mailbag: Answers on playoff picture, Middleton's value ... and trading Giannis?

Bucks react to Jontay Porter gambling investigation

On Monday, ESPN reported that Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was under investigation by the league for betting irregularities surrounding his game performances.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo is the Bucks’ union representative and he told the Journal Sentinel on Thursday he had not yet talked to anyone in the league about the Porter situation.

“But what I would say is that we don’t know what happened, yet,” Antetokounmpo said. “So, the league is still looking what’s going on and the details of it, so you can’t go out there and say what you think about it. But – the league has always advised against this. Always. At all times, you know? So it’s a no-brainer that this is stuff that shouldn’t be happening. Now, we don’t know the details, so we’ll see. We’ll see how it’s going to move forward.”

The news on Porter followed a March 20 revelation by Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff that he was personally threatened by gamblers and a March 19 comment from Oshkosh native and Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton that he felt like a “prop” for gamblers.Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani is also under league investigation for gambling after his former interpreter admitted to sending millions of dollars of Ohtani’s money to an illegal bookmaker to cover gambling debts.

“I haven’t followed it, honestly, enough,” Rivers said. “I don’t like seeing it. There’s been a lot of stuff lately about it, not just about that, but (Bickerstaff) mentioned it in Cleveland. We got the baseball stuff. I’m sure all leagues are concerned. It’s just so much more of it available to us, and not to us more to the fans. Our integrity is the key to our league. And it’s something we’re gonna all monitor. I think we all have to be more diligent, even our team, everybody.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks' rally falls short in 107-100 loss to Pelicans