Milwaukee Bucks Grades and Reactions in 111-103 Win Over Sacramento Kings
Milwaukee Bucks Grades: Starters
Brandon Knight, B+
20 Points| 8-14 FG | 1-2 FT | 6 REB | 5 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK |
This was one of those games where a player communicates through his play he deserved an All-Star nod. That led to both good and bad things for Knight. On the plus side Knight scored fourteen third quarter points as the Bucks blew the game wide-open. On the minus side Knight looked like he tried to do a little too much, forcing passes that weren’t there while committing four turnovers. He nailed the contested good-night three pointer with less than a minute left that all but sealed the game for the home team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, B
13 Points| 4-9 FG | 5-7 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK |
Watching Giannis play basketball has always been fun even when he looked tentative, scared of failure, and not confident in his own abilities. Those days are long gone. Now he’s pulling down rebounds, leading fast-breaks, and looking at the floor instead of the ball. He aims to not only find a teammate for the score, but do it in highlight-reel fashion. He had as many assists as turnovers tonight (2) but my goodness is he exciting in the open floor.
Khris Middleton, B+
15 Points | 4-11 FG | 6-6 FT | 10 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK |
Can you believe this is Middleton’s first double-double of the season? SGs typically have a difficult time recording double-doubles due to their natural position on the wing and responsibility to score taking precedence over passing and rebounding. Middleton not only scored well against the Kings (knocking down three turnaround jumpers) but had an impact on the glass with ten rebounds including three offensive rebounds. It’s time to throw some money at the 23-year-old, he’s earned it.
Jared Dudley, C+
9 Points | 3-5 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK |
Dudley didn’t quite capture the excellence of his 5-5 three point shooting barrage Monday night, but was able to hit most of his shots, make one three pointer, and play decent defense. You would expect more than 9 points in 32 minutes, but it’s not like he was taking bad shots either.
John Henson, B
12 Points| 5-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 5 BLK |
Henson recorded a block for the eighteenth straight game. In fact, he recorded five of them. His numbers against the Kings look good before realizing he only played 22 minutes. Then they look great. It breaks down like this: Henson was good for a block every 4.25 minutes, a point every other minute, and an impressive dunk every eleven minutes, including a sweet alley-oop from Gutierrez.
Next: Grades: Bench