The Milwaukee Bucks entered Friday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans extremely shorthanded. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Wesley Matthews, and Donte DiVincenzo were all absent as they have been placed in the league’s health and safety protocols. In addition, they were without Khris Middleton and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who were both injured. That goes without mentioning the injuries to Brook Lopez and Semi Ojeleye as well.
Given how ravaged this roster is, the Bucks faced an uphill battle trying to steal a win on the road against the Pelicans. Well, not only did they manage to make this game competitive, but they fell just short of snatching the win in overtime. Yes, overtime. The Bucks resiliently battled back from being down 12 points in the third quarter to force overtime and have put themselves in a position to get a huge win. But, unfortunately, it did not pan out that way. Still, this team fought until the end, and it does say something about their spirit. With that said, let us look at three takeaways.
Growing pains were on full display for the Milwaukee Bucks’ youth in loss to New Orleans Pelicans
With so many typical rotation players sidelined, coach Mike Budenholzer had to dive far deeper into his bench than usual. This included having second-year forward Jordan Nwora start for the second consecutive matchup and giving rookie center Sandro Mamukelashvili a key role in the second unit. This game would be a test for both players and a chance to showcase their skills, which ultimately produced mixed results.
Nwora played a sizeable chunk of the game as he took the floor for 42 total minutes. Throughout his performance, there were some highs, and there were some lows. On a positive note, he tallied a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Yet, he struggled to find a groove offensively as he shot just 5-of-14 on the night. One of those misses included a tip-in layup down the stretch that would have been a massive basket had it fallen. He also fouled Brandon Ingram on a 3-point attempt late in the game, which was ruled a flagrant foul, giving New Orleans three free throws and possession. There were many bone-headed plays from the 23-year-old in the game.
On the other hand, Mamukelashvili was mostly solid during his 18 minutes. Budenholzer gave the rookie more playing time than veteran big man DeMarcus Cousins, who got his first start with the Bucks. The choice made sense as the rookie showed promising signs throughout the game as he totaled six points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal. They had Mamu match up against a household center in Jonas Valančiūnas, who understandably got the upper hand. Still, it was welcoming to see Mamukelashvili give the Bucks quality minutes. With the team’s issues in the frontcourt lingering, the rookie could see time like this consistently moving forward.