3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ quality win over Memphis Grizzlies

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton dominated to help get the Milwaukee Bucks back on the right track

Despite the team’s recent slump, both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton have been playing solid basketball lately. However, with the Grizzlies in town and the Bucks needing a win, they both cranked it up a notch to ensure the champs would secure the victory.

With another MVP candidate on the other side of the ball in Ja Morant, Antetokounmpo put on a show last night that certainly helped bolster his case. The Greek Freak scored 33 points, pulling out all of the tricks in his arsenal as he knocked down jumpers, hammered home his patented dunks, and even buried two triples in four attempts. Not to mention that he also had 15 boards, seven assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. The turnovers were once again a problem as he earned five on the night, but everything else Antetokounmpo did undoubtedly overshadowed that.

Closing games has been a problem for the Bucks in 2022, and with their lead sitting at only five points with two minutes left to play, Antetokounmpo took over. The MVP front runner scored on three consecutive possessions to seal the deal, starting with an authoritative dunk, followed by a hook shot, and then a stellar fadeaway jumper to put the Bucks up by seven with 48 seconds left to play. Hats off to Antetokounmpo for another sensational effort down the stretch to close this one and get the Bucks back in the win column.

Middleton helped out his running-mate by chipping in 27 points on 55.6 percent shooting from the floor, a number bogged down by his 1-of-6 shooting night from three. Nevertheless, when he was inside the arc, the two-time All-Star was fantastic when looking to score the basketball. In another welcoming development, Middleton handed out seven assists to just one turnover after tallying an abysmal eight giveaways in Milwaukee’s previous outing against the Atlanta Hawks. Seeing him put together an impressive scoring outing while notching just one turnover is just what the Milwaukee Bucks needed to get back on the right track.

These two All-Stars were downright phenomenal for the champs. With a new and improved foe in the Chicago Bulls coming to town on Friday, the Bucks will need these two at their best once more.

Be sure to catch that must-see action at 7:00 p.m. CST on ESPN, as these two teams will square off for the first time this season.