Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 140-131 loss to Phoenix Suns

Core without Giannis

With the MVP left to cheer on from the sideline as he nurses the knee injury he picked up against the Lakers on Friday night, the onus for powering the Bucks’ offense was going to fall on the shoulders of the trio of players that Milwaukee rewarded with new contracts heading into this season.

Considering the Bucks have gone through something of a slump on the offensive end of late, even with Giannis, there was no guarantee of positive results from leaning on Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, and Brook Lopez.

The slow start certainly did not inspire confidence, particularly as Middleton started off by going 0-of-7 from the field, but collectively all three players certainly found their groove as the game went on.

Middleton again took the reins with Giannis out, and not to be deterred by his ugly start, he powered through to score 39 points on 13-of-26 shooting. Bledsoe had his usual variety of head-scratching moments early on, but from there he went on to 28 points and seven assists. While Lopez went to work around the basket as he racked up 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

There’ll be more opportunities for the Bucks’ three most notable supporting players to take the lead in the next week or so, and in the bigger picture that may not be the worst thing, particularly if they deliver offense like they did on Sunday.