Milwaukee Bucks: Grades from crushing Game 4 loss to Atlanta Hawks

PAT CONNAUGHTON. F. Relatively speaking, Pat Connaughton has given the Bucks some meaningful minutes in these playoffs as their sixth man. However, last night’s outing was far from his best as he finished with a +/- of -21, the second-worst on the team. While that can often be a flawed stat, Connaughton did not exactly put up gaudy numbers as he tallied three points, two rebounds, one assist, and one blocked shot. That production is just too little, considering the guard played nearly 26-and-a-half minutes off the bench. While he can typically make up for this lack of points or assists by playing solid defense, that was not the case either, as Atlanta’s guards had a field day offensively.. SG. Milwaukee Bucks

D-. The Bucks have brought Bobby Portis back into the rotation because of his scoring capabilities and energetic presence, but both of those attributes vanished in Game 4. The big man struggled to score as he finished with just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting from the floor, including 1-of-5 from deep. It did not help as he also turned the ball over twice, just struggling to get into a groove offensively. The only positive takeaway from Portis was that he hauled in seven boards, three of which came on the offensive end. Yet, not even that could provide much optimism with this lackluster scoring performance in 20-and-a-half minutes of action.. C. Milwaukee Bucks. BOBBY PORTIS

F. After stepping up mightily in the first round for the Bucks, Bryn Forbes has practically become unplayable in the playoffs. Last night’s game highlighted that issue further as Forbes made a minimal impact by talking six points on 2-of-6 shooting from distance. His defensive limitations have made him a liability on the floor whenever he is fortunate enough to see time, and the Hawks made sure to target him on several occasions. No one expects the guard to play reputable defense at any point, but when he is playing as cold offensively as he has been since the Miami Heat matchup, he brings little positive production when he checks into the game.. SG. Milwaukee Bucks. BRYN FORBES

INC. The Bucks waved the white flag early in this one and let their end of the bench players get some burn. There was not much to dissect as they collectively shot 2-of-9 from the floor, with Thanasis Antetokoumpo and Elijah Bryant being the only two of the bunch to hit a shot from the field. Jordan Nwora tallied four points courtesy of the free throw line but missed both of his field-goal attempts. Fellow rookie running mate Mamadi Diakite missed all three of his shots from the field, and Jeff Teague missed his lone try. Heads were hanging low before this group checked in, and it was clear that everyone just wanted this game to end. Yet, who could blame them?. . Milwaukee Bucks. END OF THE BENCH