Whenever everything seems to be going right for the Milwaukee Bucks, they tend to play things too close for comfort soon after.
That was precisely the case in last night’s matchup with the OKC Thunder, where the Bucks looked to be well on their way to a win with a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter before OKC rallied back to cut their deficit to just two points in the fourth quarter. Yet, OKC never managed to claim a lead in the contest, despite having several opportunities in that fourth quarter. Instead, the Bucks held on to secure a 96-89 victory over the Thunder in a game that was nearly a disaster. With that being said, let us take a closer look at three big takeaways from the contest.
Bobby Portis continues to thrive in his increased role with the Milwaukee Bucks
With center Brook Lopez still sidelined with his ongoing back soreness, the Bucks have relied upon Bobby Portis to step into those shoes in the starting five. The big man has done a solid job to this point, and he had another solid performance against the Thunder, although he may have had some shooting struggles.
Despite shooting a brutal 5-of-13 from the floor, Portis finished with 17 points against OKC, the second-most on the Bucks. Three of those made baskets came from behind the arc, the only spot Portis could seemingly find any success on the night offensively. Portis typically does most of his damage close to the hoop in addition to the occasional mid-range jumper, but it was good to see him have a good shooting night from 3-point range as he has previously struggled from there this season.
While the scoring totals from Portis might not jump off the page, his rebounding numbers against OKC should. The big man pulled down 13 rebounds in the contest, proving to be a major factor for the Bucks on the glass. On a night where the Bucks managed to grab just six offensive rebounds as a unit, Portis asserted his presence by hauling in four of those on his own. Given how close this game got down the stretch, those second-chance opportunities proved crucial.
With 17 points and 13 rebounds, Portis notched his third double-double of the season. Not only has the scoring from Portis provided a much-needed boost for the short-handed Bucks, but the ability to rebound the ball at a high-level, such as last night, has been as well. Opponents have dominated the Bucks in the rebounding department without Lopez this season, which has been among the biggest reasons for their struggles early. To see Portis not only score the ball at a high level but also attack the glass like this was a welcoming sign.
Although the Bucks got some positive-sounding news regarding Lopez’s return, there is still no date set in stone just yet. Until then, the team will continue to rely heavily on Portis to fill in as a starter, and he has shown that he is up to the challenge. Due to the scoring, rebounding, and the high-intensity play that he brings to the floor, this team sure is lucky to have a backup like Portis.
It will take time for Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday to fully regain their footing for the Milwaukee Bucks after another struggle-filled outing
Both Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have missed time for the Bucks this season with their own individual issues, so they have struggled to be themselves early.
This matchup versus the Thunder was Middleton’s second game back after missing eight straight after recently testing positive for COVID-19. No one expected Middleton to return to the lineup as if he had never left right from the jump, and these past two games have been all about finding his footing. The forward is still looking for his shot as he went just 5-of-13 from the floor in this one, which included 3-of-8 from deep. Milwaukee’s typical closer was not himself in the fourth quarter as he shot just 1-of-4, although that one make was a clutch triple. Despite these struggles, there is obviously no reason to panic just yet, as it will take time for Middleton to get back up to speed.
As for Holiday, he has struggled to find a groove since returning from a laundry list of injuries and an illness several games ago. His struggles persisted once against last night as the guard tallied a mere 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, including 1-of-4 from deep. Unlike Middleton, whose shots look good but just will not fall, Holiday’s shot selection has been questionable in these struggles. He certainly loves his jumpers, particularly from 3-point range, but he has been unable to buy a basket from the perimeter over these past few games. Yet, he also continues struggling to finish at the rim, which has hindered his production and bogged down his percentages drastically.
For the Bucks to win a game where these two play so poorly is a rarity. Although these struggles, particularly Holiday’s, might be frustrating, it will take time for the tandem to get back up to par after their early injuries and illnesses. This was just the fourth game that these two shared the court for the Bucks this season, so some rust should be expected.
Despite a poor shooting night, Giannis Antetokounmpo shows why he is among the greats as he leads the Milwaukee Bucks to a win
Giannis Antetokounmpo has had a fantastic start to the new season as he continues putting up MVP caliber numbers for the Bucks, but he had his share of struggles against the Thunder.
It was an incredibly rare inefficient shooting night for Antetokounmpo as he would go 6-of-16 on field-goal attempts, missing all four of his 3-point attempts. The Greek Freak was smothered by a handful of Thunder players whenever he took the ball inside, even getting shots blocked on a few different occasions. That made it a frustrating outing for him, but Antetokounmpo came through in the end regardless and buried a mid-range jumper to essentially seal the deal for the Bucks. The thing about Giannis is that his shot could be missing all night and he will still take that jumper in a critical situation, showing his confidence in the work he has put into perfecting that shot.
Aside from the clutch bucket, the most notable contribution from Antetokounmpo would have to be his blocked shots. He had four of them sprinkled throughout, but there was one that certainly stood out among the others. With the Bucks leading by just two points late in the fourth, Darius Bazley went up for a layup to tie the game, but Antetokounmpo came soaring in out of nowhere to swap it away. Although plays like this from Antetokounmpo should not be surprising after seeing him do them for the past few years consistently, it never ceases to amaze fans when he does something like this.
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Giannis also helped the Bucks stay afloat on the glass by hauling in a season-high 19 rebounds, nearly notching a 20-20 double-double. He was on triple-double watch for quite some time as he finished with seven assists, doing some of everything for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo’s glaring five turnovers and five personal fouls are nothing to cheer about, but the good undeniably outweighs the bad here. From the otherworldly block to the elite rebounding, Antetokounmpo showed that he does not need to drop 47 points, which he did in the previous game, to show how dangerous he is at all times.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will aim to make it three consecutive wins as they take on the Orlando Magic tonight, and you can catch the action at 7:00 p.m. CST on Bally Sports Wisconsin.