Grading performances from Milwaukee Bucks Game 5 win over Chicago Bulls
Grading Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Game 5: Starters
Jrue Holiday: B-
Jrue Holiday’s defense will always give him a solid baseline that keeps him from receiving a poor grade, but unfortunately his offense in Game 5 left a lot to be desired. The main point of contention being turnovers. Jrue Holiday committed six turnovers in Game 5 after dropping the number to just two turnovers in Games 3 and 4. Holiday did finish with his series-high in assists with nine but moving to the second round against a defensively sound Boston Celtics team, Jrue Holiday and the Milwaukee Bucks will have to be better at taking care of the ball and not making careless turnovers.
The other part of Jrue Holiday’s offense where he struggled was shooting, Jrue finished with just 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting and just 1-for-7 behind the 3-point line. The margin for error is larger against a depleted Bulls team than it will be against the Boston Celtics, but the Bucks got the win and closed the series. I believe Jrue Holiday will be better in the next round.
Wesley Matthews: A
Wesley Matthews is in the Milwaukee Bucks starting lineup for his defense, he has shown throughout this series that as a veteran he can defend guys like Demar DeRozan effectively without fouling. Wesley Matthews racked up four steals while committing just one foul. Wesley Matthews will continue being one of the Bucks most important defenders in the next round against the Celtics Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
What made me give Wesley Matthews the bump to an A for this game was his effectiveness in the offense, I know eight points doesn’t immediately grab your attention in the box score, but looking deeper and seeing not only was he 50 percent from the field but he was 50 percent on 3-point shots and was actually doing a very good job of using pump fakes and dribble drives to set up his teammates, Wesley Matthews finished Game 5 with four assists and zero turnovers.
Getting eight efficient points, four assists with no turnovers and four steals from your fifth starter is a great place to be in the Milwaukee Bucks’ quest for a repeat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: A
The MVP of this series, Giannis got everything he wanted in Game 5, absolutely dominating this game basically from the tip-off. Giannis was 5-for-5 in the first quarter, scored 15 points in the first 12 minutes and had 23 points at half-time, and didn’t miss a shot until the two-minute mark of the second quarter. Giannis played downhill basically this entire series, it got him into some offensive foul trouble, but it also helped him score 33 points in just 30 minutes on only 15 shots in Game 5.
Giannis was hellbent on getting to the rim in Game 5 and was either scoring basically every time or getting fouled, he finished 11-for-15 on field goals and 11-of-14 from the free throw line. Giannis’ efficiency is a huge part of winning this series for the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis finished Game 5 with 33 points, nine rebounds, and three assists with just two turnovers, he is ready to advance.
Bobby Portis: A-
Bobby Portis has shined since getting knocked out of Game 2 early, he has posted double-doubles for three consecutive games for the Milwaukee Bucks. In Game 5 Bobby Portis posted 14 points and 17! rebounds. Bobby did commit three turnovers, just as a result of spending a lot of time dribbling with his back to the basket looking to exploit a mismatch or get to his spot to score. The three turnovers and his 2-of-7 mark on threes are the only thing that kept me from giving him a straight A.
Bobby did a lot of scoring in Game 5, nearly all in the second half. Bobby had just two points in the first half and then carried a lot of the weight offensively in the third quarter, scoring eight points in two minutes from the 10 minute mark to just over 8 minute mark in the third quarter.
The other part of Bobby Portis’ game is his tenacity on the glass, Bobby is a true glass eater and it shows in his three consecutive double doubles, in those three games Bobby has pulled down 17, 10 and 16, not to mention 12 in Game 1, which he also had a double double. Bobby Portis is no stranger to the starting lineup and he continues to thrive no matter where he starts the game.
Brook Lopez: A
Brook Lopez remains the anchor and one of the vocal leaders of the Milwaukee Bucks defense, that role will be tested heavily in the next round by the Boston Celtics, but in Game 5, Brook Lopez did tally two blocked shots, the only two blocked shots by the Bucks. Lopez also contributed five rebounds.
In addition to his defense, anything you get offensively from Brook is always good, especially on effective shooting. Brook Lopez scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting and added 4-for-4 from the free throw line. I don’t think people realize how good of a free throw shooter Brook Lopez actually is for a big man, he shot 11-for-12 on free throws in this series and has been over 80 percent every year since joining the Bucks.