Milwaukee Bucks: Player grades from 107-96 Game 4 win over Nets

B. Milwaukee’s starting point guard is still looking for his shot offensively in this series, but he logged yet another solid afternoon showing for the Bucks yesterday. Jrue Holiday finished Game 4 with 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting, including just 2-for-7 from deep. Despite his own personal shooting woes, Holiday showcased his masterful playmaking throughout the contest as he finished with nine assists to just one turnover. He was also spotted playing robust defense all afternoon against Brooklyn’s best. Although his shooting concerns continue to persist, Holiday’s impact was written all over this game.. PG. Milwaukee Bucks. JRUE HOLIDAY

A. Khris Middleton followed up his heroic Game 3 performance on Thursday night with another solid outing yesterday afternoon. All eyes will immediately focus on his 19 points, but the forward impacted the game by doing far more than just scoring the basketball, most notably by serving as a facilitator. Middleton finished the game with eight total assists, following in Holiday’s footsteps by getting his teammates involved in the action. He was also active on the defensive side of the ball by snatching two steals and blocking a pair of shots. It was an all-around effort from Middleton, as it appears he has found a rhythm after an abysmal start to the series. With the series shifting back to Brooklyn, time will tell if he can keep these efforts up, but there is no denying his importance in yesterday’s win.. SG. Milwaukee Bucks. KHRIS MIDDLETON

Milwaukee Bucks. P.J. TUCKER. A+. This was unquestionably P.J. Tucker’s best game with the Bucks since they traded for him earlier this season. Offensively, Tucker tallied 13 points, shooting an efficient 5-of-8 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Considering the forward had scored a combined nine points throughout the first three games of this series in totality, Tucker certainly surprised many with his offensive contributions. That might be because they are accustomed to seeing him working his tail off on the defensive end, which he kept consistent yesterday. Tucker hounded Brooklyn’s leading man Kevin Durant from start to finish, ensuring that he would get no easy shots in this contest. For his valiant two-way effort, undoubtedly his best yet with Milwaukee, Tucker deserves the praise.. SF

Milwaukee Bucks. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO. A. After a much-needed bounce-back in Game 3, Giannis Antetokounmpo kept his momentum going with a 34-point effort in Game 4. Despite logging five turnovers, the Greek Freak looked quite comfortable offensively, bullying Brooklyn’s defenders down low for a collage of memorable slam dunks that saw the crowd erupt on multiple occasions. Furthermore, Antetokounmpo did not let his awful 1-of-8 shooting out from 3-point range in Game 3 deter his confidence this time around as he shot 1-of-5 in this matchup. On top of that, his struggles from the line persisted, where he shot just 5-of-10 on the afternoon. While the latter two takeaways are far from ideal, the Bucks won the matchup, and Antetokounmpo had a game-high +/- of 29, which speaks for itself.. PF

C+. Brook Lopez continued his recent struggle on the offensive end by finishing with just six points on 2-of-6 shooting. The big man continues to be camped out on the perimeter as all of his shots came from behind the arc during his 33 minutes of action. While that might typically prove problematic, the contributions were aplenty from the rest of the team offensively. Despite his shooting struggles offensively, Lopez made his money on the defensive end, where he protected the paint forcefully and snatched three steals in the process. Also hauling in 11 rebounds, Lopez impacted this one in ways other than just his scoring.. C. Milwaukee Bucks. BROOK LOPEZ