Milwaukee Bucks: Grades from brutal Game 1 loss to Atlanta Hawks

Milwaukee Bucks. PAT CONNAUGHTON. D-. Pat Connaughton continues to get the call as Milwaukee’s leading man off the bench, but he failed to make good with the extended minutes last night. The guard finished with just four points on an ugly 1-of-6 shooting from the floor, including four misses from behind the arc. With the Bucks trailing late in the game, Connaughton heaved a triple that would have given them the lead, but he instead airballed it. His one redeeming factor was that he knocked down a pair of clutch free throws late in the game as the Bucks tried to gut out a win, but it ultimately did not matter as they lost. Playing nearly 29 minutes, 16.7 percent shooting from the field will not be good enough from Connaughton on a nightly basis. He must be better offensively, particular with his outside shooting.. SG

C. Milwaukee Bucks. BOBBY PORTIS. A-. After being booted from the rotation in the final three games against the Nets, Bobby Portis made his long-awaited return to the lineup last night. The big man came with a vengeance as he brought the intensity across his nearly 15 minutes played. In that timeframe, Portis finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, providing a much-needed spark off the bench to try and get this Milwaukee team going. Although it did not exactly work in the end, Portis individually had a solid game. The Bucks will need more production from him if they will give him minutes during this series. In addition to the offensive boost and the hustle, they will desperately need it defensively as well.

C+. Much like Portis, Forbes also saw his minutes cut drastically against the Nets only to see a return to action in last night’s Game 1. Playing just under 12-and-a-half minutes, Forbes was not given much opportunity to find a groove offensively, finishing with just 5 points on 2-of-4 shooting from the floor. Given the small sample size, there is not much to go off of here when handing the guard a grade. His contributions were minimal, but given how awful Milwaukee’s 3-point shooting has been recently, he should get more burn in the rotation. When Connaughton is having an abysmal shooting night as he was last night, having Forbes take the lead-claiming triple might be a better option.. SG. Milwaukee Bucks. BRYN FORBES

F. Jeff Teague’s five-and-a-half minutes were a grueling experience to watch. The guard missed his lone shot from the field and spent his time defensively being targeted by Atlanta’s Trae Young. Milwaukee’s backup floor general was a liability out on the floor trying to limit Young and although they thankfully pulled him, it was too late as the damage had already been committed. Given Young’s final stat line – which will be discussed more in a minute – this might be a series where Teague is best suited to watch from the sidelines on a regular basis.. PG. Milwaukee Bucks. JEFF TEAGUE