It was certainly an interesting game for the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday night against the New York Knicks as they closed out a five-game stand at Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks only had eight players available in total for the game due to various circumstances, leaving Brook Lopez as the only full-time starter to hit the court. That forced head coach Mike Budenholzer to dig deep into his bench to put together a rotation, and it was undoubtedly thrilling to watch.
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Despite a gutsy effort from the Bucks from start to finish, they could not close this one out as they fell 102-96 to the Knicks. Although they were without nearly every typical rotation player, it still stung that the Bucks let this one slip away after being tied in the final minutes.
Nevertheless, given the circumstances surrounding the lack of available bodies, this is not a game that the team will hang their heads over for too long.
Before the Bucks hit the road for a six-game swing out West, here are three takeaways from their tough loss to New York last night.
Mamadi Diakite gets his first genuine minutes with the Milwaukee Bucks
Before last night’s matchup against the Knicks, rookie big man Mamadi Diakite had not seen any meaningful run in the Bucks’ rotation.
With the overall shortage of rotational pieces at Budenholzer’s disposal last night, the rookie finally got an opportunity. Diakite could not quite find his rhythm offensively in his first legitimate action by finishing the contest with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 0-of-2 from deep. Still, he impacted the game elsewhere by stuffing the stat sheet with seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 23 minutes of burn.
Overall, it was a solid first start for the 24-year-old and a glimpse at what he can potentially bring to the table. The big man is coming off a dozen game stretch in the G League where he earned himself a handful of nominations, most notably an All-NBA G League first team nod.
The potential is there for Diakite, and following Saturday’s contest, he finally has gotten his feet wet. With Milwaukee’s frontcourt depth currently thinned out as they gear up for a six-game swing, Diakite could potentially earn himself some more minutes in the rotation moving forward, and he must capitalize on the opportunity.
Jordan Nwora has hopefully earned himself an opportunity for the Milwaukee Bucks
Another Milwaukee rookie that had not been seeing any relevant minutes lately was Jordan Nwora, who also broke that spell last night.
Making the first start of his career, Nwora took advantage of the opportunity as he pieced together his best NBA performance yet in his 36 minutes. The forward was lighting up the scoreboard all night by tallying a career-high 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Furthermore, he notched the very first double-double of his young career as he also hauled in 10 rebounds.
Although he could not help the Bucks seal the victory, the 22-year-old impressed in his first real minutes in quite some time. This performance should have certainly caught the eye of coach Budenholzer, and hopefully the rookie can start seeing more consistent playing time rather than just mop-up duty.
Nwora’s sharpshooting was a significant reason why the Bucks selected him 45th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he could unquestionably provide a spark off the bench for them nightly if he can build off this performance. Milwaukee’s bench has been inconsistent this season at producing offense, and inserting a player with Nwora’s scoring capabilities could be the missing piece they are searching for.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo puts together a career night with the Milwaukee Bucks
Thanasis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 12 points in Friday night’s loss to the Boston Celtics, but he put that performance to shame last night.
Also making his first start of the season, Thanasis had an unforgettable night as he nearly doubled his previous career-high with a team-high 23 points. He did it quite efficiently as well, shooting an impressive 8-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from deep.
Antetokounmpo was knocking down the long ball nearly flawlessly, which was a massive surprise considering he had just hit two triples in his entire career entering this game. His impact went far beyond just scoring as well, as he finished with 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals in nearly 37 minutes of action.
Typically, the 28-year-old simply serves as an energizer off Milwaukee’s bench when they need a boost. While he also displayed that from start to finish last night, he also put on a display of everything else he can bring to the court. While games like these will certainly not become the norm for Thanasis anytime soon, it was without question captivating to watch this performance unravel.
With the Bucks likely hitting the road with a few key pieces absent, Budenholzer will give Thanasis more run in the rotation over these new few games. If last night’s performance said anything, it is that the forward will remain ready for the call whenever he is called upon.
Despite the loss, Antetokounmpo’s career night stole the show at Fiserv Forum, and it will be something fans will not forget anytime soon.
Thanasis and the Bucks will take the court once again on Monday as they head to Los Angeles to square off against the LA Clippers. It should be a great rematch between these two title contending teams, and you can catch the action at 9:00 p.m. CST on Fox Sports Wisconsin or NBA TV.