With a late push for the Eastern Conference’s top seed still in play, the Milwaukee Bucks aimed to make up some ground as the Washington Wizards came to Fiserv Forum last night. However, they would face a tall order doing so, given that both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton were sidelined with injuries. Even without these two, the Bucks have an incredibly deep roster, and they would get to show it off against the Wizards.
It was all Milwaukee from start to finish in this one as they never surrendered the lead at any point throughout the contest, having built up a lead as large as 28. Though Washington managed to give Fiserv Forum a scare when they cut it to a single-digit deficit late in the fourth quarter, Milwaukee silenced any comeback attempt and secured the 114-102 victory. While the Wizards were also not at full strength, this was a stellar win for the Bucks, and here are three takeaways that helped the defending champions earn the victory.
Pat Connaughton and George Hill both clocked in their best performances since returning from injury for the Milwaukee Bucks
Both Pat Connaughton and George Hill had missed considerable time lately due to injuries, so they have used these past few games since returning to try and regain their footing by shaking off rust. Following last night’s game, it looks like they are both coming along just fine as the pair clocked in fantastic games for the Bucks.
Connaughton was stellar off the bench by tallying 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. With Milwaukee needing someone to score the basketball without their two leading scorers available, Connaughton gladly obliged and found himself in a snug rhythm in this matchup from beginning to end. Not to mention that he also hauled in five rebounds and tallied a steal in his 22 and a half minutes played to cap off yet another great night. The veteran guard has shown little to no rust since returning to the lineup following hand surgery, and hopefully he can continue this trend moving forward.
Coming off the bench alongside Connaughton was Hill, who logged one of his best games in a long time by tallying 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists in 23 minutes. Offensively, Hill found the bottom of the net four times in six attempts, clocking in an efficient shooting night as he finished with double-digit points for the first time since January 22. Hill had been struggling offensively as he worked his way back up to speed recently, but this could be the performance that helps him get the wheels turning down the stretch once again.
Connaughton and Hill are both extremely important pieces for this Milwaukee second unit, which they showed last night. It will be worth monitoring whether last night’s matchup can help conjure some momentum for the pair down the stretch.