Milwaukee Bucks: 3 keys to victory when visiting Phoenix Suns

Third key to victory against Suns — Milwaukee Bucks soldier on without Jrue

The Bucks were dealt a tough blow prior to their win against the Nuggets with Jrue Holiday entering the league’s health and safety protocols. And as has already been announced, the Bucks will be without Holiday moving forward, which obviously leaves them without their point guard and best one-on-one defender.

That last part is important to hit on with the Suns having a wildly talented backcourt between Paul and All-Star hopeful Devin Booker, which puts even more pressure on the Bucks’ defense to hold up without Holiday.

Bryn Forbes stepped into the starting lineup wonderfully and eventually finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 25-and-a-half minutes of action. Whether Budenholzer will continue turning to Forbes in the starting lineup remains to be seen, but there’s no question the Bucks’ offense was humming with Forbes in place of Holiday.

It’s on the other side of the ball where having Forbes on the floor can create problems for the Bucks. Perhaps this will be where we see more of Torrey Craig, who played a season-high 23 minutes Monday night off the bench and finished with nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting, all from downtown.

Craig has the size, length and athleticism to slot down and check opposing guards and wings and we certainly saw how he flustered Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during spurts Monday night.

Craig’s defensive specialties will certainly be leaned on further as the Bucks’ road trip goes along, but figuring out the overall mix in the wake of Holiday’s sudden absence will be the biggest challenge for the Bucks’ coaching staff to crack.

The Bucks’ matchup with the Phoenix Suns will tip off at 9 p.m. central time Wednesday night and you can catch the action on Fox Sports Wisconsin for those living locally.