After a tough road loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves to conclude a four-game road swing this past weekend, the Milwaukee Bucks returned home to take on the Chicago Bulls last night.
Given just how jam-packed the Eastern Conference standings currently are, this would be a pivotal matchup for both franchises. Looking to go up 3-0 in the regular season series, the Bucks certainly appeared motivated as they manhandled the Bulls throughout this matchup, having built up a lead as large as 35 points in the fourth quarter. When the final buzzer sounded, the Bucks had defeated the Bulls 126-98, having undoubtedly made a strong statement against their Central Division foe. With all that being said, let us take a closer look at three takeaways from the contest.
Wesley Matthews showed his importance to the Milwaukee Bucks with a stellar outing as a member of the starting five
Having notched his seventh start of the season last night, Wesley Matthews would be tasked with playing an important role for the Bucks against the Bulls.
Defensively, Matthews was assigned to guard Chicago’s lethal All-Star tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, who are among the league’s highest-scoring duos. Matthews embraced the task and did a strong job of defending them, holding LaVine to 1-of-5 shooting and DeRozan to 3-of-6, according to NBA.com. The pair both had tough shooting nights overall, partially due to Matthews’ defensive intensity when he defended them.
In addition to his strong defense, Matthews had an eye-catching game offensively as the veteran tallied 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from long-range. Whether Matthews shot it from the perimeter or took it to the hoop inside, the guard looked incredibly confident throughout, and it worked well in the end as his 11 points were the most he has scored in a game since Jan. 10. Even before this game, Matthews had started to find a groove offensively lately, but this should only help his momentum.
Having made plays on both sides of the floor all night, Matthews showed the impact that he could have for this Milwaukee Bucks team nightly.