Milwaukee Bucks: Player grades for 118-115 Game 4 victory over Miami Heat

ERIC BLEDSOE. C+. Where, oh where do we start with Eric Bledsoe and his Game 4 performance? Let’s start with the good. When putting his head down and getting downhill, Bledsoe was particularly strong in finishing around the rim and took advantage of the Heat’s lesser defenders. The same could be largely said for how he was flying around on the defensive end, both in guarding at the point of attack and tracking back to pull down 10 boards. The bad? Bledsoe’s shot selection, especially on shots from the perimeter, were, uh, horrendous. And he certainly had some costly defensive lapses too. But a double-double of 14 points, 10 boards and six assists while being a +13 in over 39-and-a-half minutes made for a productive and certainly eventful outing for Bledsoe.. Guard. Milwaukee Bucks

D+. The best of Wesley Matthews’ play this series with the Heat has come on the defensive end where he has been very strong in covering Jimmy Butler and that all showed in Game 4 Sunday afternoon. But that didn’t make up for his offensive struggles where he went 1-for-4 from three and finished with three points. Somehow, Matthews finished as a -25 in 24 minutes and 54 seconds, which is downright impressive in its own right.. Guard. Milwaukee Bucks. WESLEY MATTHEWS

The man of the hour, Khris Middleton’s herculean performance Sunday afternoon is the singular reason why the Bucks’ season continues for at least one more game. Without question, the two-time All-Star took on such an enormous workload in simply just keeping the Bucks in the proceedings and his 21-point 3rd quarter showed the best of Middleton’s shotmaking ability, especially as he hunted for any and all mismatches. After losing steam in the fourth quarter, Middleton recharged just enough to put the stamp on the victory and finish with 36 points on 28 shots, eight assists and eight rebounds. With all of this coming while playing 48 minutes and all but six seconds in the second half and overtime, Middleton exemplified the fight that the Antetokounmpo-less Bucks needed to save their season from being extinguished.. Forward. Milwaukee Bucks. KHRIS MIDDLETON. A+

A. After being a game-time decision, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave it a go for Game 4 Sunday afternoon and he certainly came out of the gates playing at a level he failed to reach previously in the series. Antetokounmpo was aggressive and incredibly skillful in getting downhill to the rim and stuffed in 19 points in 10 shots until the 10:18 mark of the second quarter. Of course, that is where Antetokounmpo’s day came to a premature end after he rolled his right ankle, the same ankle that he sprained in Game 3. The cruel irony of that coming after Antetokounmpo hadn’t looked better wasn’t lost anyone. Even as his status for Game 5 is riddled in doubt, Antetokounmpo finishing as the Bucks’ second leading scorer just showed the impact of his strong start before it ended far too soon.. Forward. Milwaukee Bucks. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO

While he didn’t play as much of a pronounced scoring role compared to his previous efforts in the series, Brook Lopez still came up clutch when it mattered the most. Ten of the seven-footer’s 14 points came during the fourth quarter, which included his pair of threes, and it all helped bring the Bucks to break through at that point in the game. While he struggled to score the ball in other quarters, it was by far the biggest contribution he offered on the day over his 41-and-a-half minutes.. Center. Milwaukee Bucks. BROOK LOPEZ. B