Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19 Season Review: Nikola Mirotic

Game of the season

If you can think back to late February as the Bucks were just beginning the first contest of a four-game West coast swing, Mirotic’s brightest performance with the Bucks arguably came during Milwaukee’s 141-140 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings.

Logging over 26-and-a-half minutes of action off the bench, Mirotic finished with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field (5-of-8 from deep, 2-of-2 from the foul line), eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and was a team-high +18 on the night.

With Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo less than 100 percent in his limited showing on the night, Mirotic proved to pick up the slack and lift the Bucks throughout all of his shifts on the bench.

That obviously included splashing in numerous triples and Mirotic’s fifth and final three came at a crucial time at the 2:52 mark during overtime to provide the Bucks a six-point cushion at that point in the tilt.

Mirotic’s defensive work was equally up to snuff as he utilized his mobility and length to limit any of the promising Sacramento big men he matched up on over the course of the night.

Displaying a noticeable chemistry with his new teammates and making a two-way impact, Mirotic showed exactly what made him such a tantalizing addition to the Bucks’ supporting cast that night and why it could have sustained itself, if not for a litany of circumstances that surfaced as the year wore on.