Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 114-104 win over Charlotte Hornets
By Dalton Sell
P.J. Tucker and Bryn Forbes play key roles off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks in win over Hornets
The Bucks’ bench has been all over the place in terms of consistency this season, but they undoubtedly had a pair of key contributors in Tuesday’s win.
Bryn Forbes was the first as he finished the game with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including going 3-for-6 from long range. The guard was scorching hot all night and provided an essential spark offensively throughout his 18-and-a-half minutes of action.
This performance is a welcoming sign after Forbes was a non-factor in the team’s loss to Atlanta, where he scored zero points on an abysmal 0-of-5 shooting. Seeing him bounce back and establish an immediate rhythm against the Hornets was a reassuring sign as he played a key part in providing some energy in the second unit.
Alongside him was P.J. Tucker, who logged just over 25 and a half minutes in this matchup, his most since being acquired by the team in late March. Finishing with five points on 2-of-3 shooting and hauling in five rebounds throughout that frame, the stat sheet cannot accurately reflect the major impact the 35-year-old had in this one.
The forward was playing unrelenting defensive throughout this contest, showing off that prowess that has earned him a reputation in this league. That defensive excellence kept Tucker in the game from 8:13 in the fourth quarter all the way down to 2:06 remaining, and his versatile fit next to Antetokounmpo eventually sealed the deal and picked up the win.
The Bucks traded for Tucker with the impression that he could bring that versatility to the table that would allow the team to experiment with lineups, and that was the case last night. It will be interesting to see how head coach Mike Budenholzer distributes minutes among the second unit moving forward as Tucker’s big night saw Pat Connaughton play just 14-and-a-half minutes, while Bobby Portis just 13 minutes total.
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Despite nearly dropping another game due to their struggles late, this was a nice win for the Bucks. Their next stop will be Houston as the Bucks are set to square off against the Rockets on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. CST. You can watch that one on Bally Sports Wisconsin for those living in the area.