3 key as Milwaukee Bucks finish homestand vs Washington Wizards

The Milwaukee Bucks will need bounce-back efforts from Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday

Speaking of the Bucks’ co-stars, after lackluster performances in their blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets, they need big nights against the Wizards in this one.

Middleton was held to nine points on eight shots, the fewest shots of their starters. Holiday was more efficient with 14 points on nine shots, but still the second-fewest shots of the starting five. There is no reason (other than foul trouble) that Grayson Allen and Bobby Portis, for as great as they’ve played, should take more shots than them.

The silver lining for the two stars is that they combined for 15 assists, but they also need to get their shots as well.

Being aggressive has been an issue for Holiday in the past, with him, his teammates, and his coaches have mentioned that they’ve been vocal with him about that. Middleton, on the other hand, has never lacked for aggression and trying to find his own shot.

This is a matchup that should suit both of them as they’ll see a steady diet of midrange opportunities as that’s what the Wizards want them to take. Holiday is shooting 51 percent on all midrange shots, one of the highest marks for all point guards.

I don’t need to explain how much Middleton loves his midrange jumpers and how integral they are to his offensive game. He’s shooting a few percent worse this season on midrange jumpers compared to last, but at 44 percent, he’s still in the 70th percentile for his position group.

Due to how little offense the Bucks have been getting from their bench this season, the Bucks are reliant on those two for scoring more than usual.

The Bucks embark on a four-game West Coast road trip after this game, so a win tonight would be a nice confidence boost ahead of that.