Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from electric Game 5 win vs. Phoenix Suns
By Dalton Sell
Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis give the Milwaukee Bucks life in Game 5 win vs. Phoenix Suns
The contributions from Connaughton and Portis for the Bucks in this massive Game 5 victory were touched on briefly, but that brief section would not do it justice.
Connaughton has proven to be Milwaukee’s most reliable player in the second unit as he has been nothing short of sensational in this series. The guard clocked in what might have been his finest work yet by scoring 14 points and hauling in six rebounds. Knocking in four triples in six attempts, Connaughton gave the Bucks a much-needed spark offensively in the second unit while crashing the glass consistently to haul in rebounds. He was also tasked with playing defense against Paul and Booker more consistently on the switches, to which he did a solid job.
As for Portis, it was not a world-beating performance from the big man, but he clocked in some solid minutes off the bench. The energizer would score nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, with two of those makes coming from behind the arc and the other being a tough finish inside that created an and-one opportunity. Surprisingly, Portis would not tally a single defensive rebound in this game, managing to haul in his three rebounds strictly on the offensive end. Yet, he remained active on the defensive side of things by tallying two steals.
These two were fantastic off the bench for the Bucks in the victory, with the pair playing some of the best basketball yet since they have set foot in Milwaukee. They have undoubtedly stepped up on both ends of the floor with the lights currently the brightest.