The marquee three was just two
Since the nucleus of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe were formed upon Bledsoe’s arrival to Milwaukee nearly two months ago, they’ve collectively powered the Bucks as a whole with the high level impact each player has had on the team in their respective ways.
While the Bucks got good-to-great performances from both Antetokounmpo and Bledsoe (and in that order), they were waiting on Middleton to make his imprint on the game, which ultimately failed to happen.
Yes, the Antetokounmpo/Bledsoe/Middleton triumvirate combined for 73 points on a combined 25-of-50 shooting from the field (6-of-14 from beyond the arc), but it was Bledsoe and Antetokounmpo who consistently fueled the team, especially when they needed it most, at least in Bledsoe’s case.
Given this context, what makes last night’s loss a tough pill to swallow is the supporting contributions the Bucks got out of their bench unit that usually acts as a vital element in any potential Bucks win in most scenarios.
But if the Bucks don’t have those three clicking on all cylinders when going off against a sure playoff-caliber team like the Raptors, the Bucks will be hardpressed to take a win that looks to be in their grasp.