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Milwaukee Bucks Grades and Reactions to 112-111 Win Over the Boston Celtics

By Jeff Herrmann

Feb 9, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) and Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) battle for a rebound during the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) and Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) battle for a rebound during the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 9, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) holds the ball away from Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) holds the ball away from Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Reactions: The Good

  • Maybe Moose is worth hanging on to after all. After coming in midway through the first quarter he proceeded to go off for 15 points and eight rebounds by halftime. He added another 12 in the third quarter before capping his 29 points performance with a critical go-ahead hook with one second left. There was nothing short of double teams that Boston could do to slow down Moose. Questions abound regarding his future in Milwaukee but one thing is for certain: as long as he’s throwing down ferocious hammers like these, he has a place in Milwaukee.
  • The third quarter may have been the most exciting quarter of the season. The Bucks shot 15-20, 2-3 from three, and 8-10 from the line en route to a 40 point quarter. Monroe scored 12 points on 5-6 shooting in the quarter and everything that could go right, did. What a rarity. It felt like a huge aberration. Sure enough, the Bucks proceeded to surrender their big lead in the fourth quarter.
  • So how did Plumlee look as a starter? Fine, if unexceptional. He’s going to bring the energy along with a couple of these trade-tickling blocks per game.
  • O.J. Mayo returned in a big way. What made his 18 minute zero point performance so great? Veteran leadership. Okay, that’s a cliché. I get it. But if you watched the game closely you saw Mayo at the heart of every huddle, whispering words of encouragement to shooters along the Bucks sideline, and providing hands-on advice to younger players (specifically Jabari Parker) while on-court. The Bucks don’t win without his six assists, too. For the right price retaining Mayo should be a priority this off season.
  • Speaking of Jabari Parker we were privileged with a look into his potential as the Bucks go-to guy in the offense. He took four shots in the first six minutes (making two), but the way he looked spoke volumes about his future in Milwaukee. Aggressive. Exciting. You already know he’s flashy. Now the trick is bottling up that energy and mentality and bringing it for four quarters, 82 nights a year. Here’s how he got the scoring started for the Bucks.

Next: Reactions: The Bad

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