Grades from Milwaukee Bucks’ brutal Game 6 loss to Boston Celtics

Grades from Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 6 loss to Boston Celtics: Starters

Jrue Holiday: C+

Jrue Holiday was his usual self on the defensive end, causing frustration for the Celtics, Jrue finished with three steals and two blocks for the Milwaukee Bucks. However, there are two sides to play, Jrue shot 7-of-17 on field goals, not a great percentage but not terrible, but split his 2-point attempts from his 3-point attempts, and the percentages are a little harder to digest. Jrue was 4-for-7 on shots inside the 3-point line and just 3-for-10 behind the arc.

Jrue Holiday has been rather successful in this series driving to the rim and using his strength to score, at times though he struggles with his shot selection, while I have no problem with pulling open threes in transition when guys defend his running mates on the fast break, the plays like the one where he threw the ball of a Celtics defender and corralled the ball into a 3-point try are not good looks. Hopefully Jrue has saved his best offensive game for last.

Grayson Allen: D

I will say Grayson Allen had some tough rolls that fell out that contributed to his final 1-of-7 shooting, but the Milwaukee Bucks need more out of their starting shooting guard. 0-for-4 on threes and just three rebounds and one assist are not going to cut it if the Bucks have any hope to win Game 7 and continue their quest for a repeat. Grayson Allen simply needs to be better.

Wesley Matthews: B

Wesley Matthews was relatively quiet in Game 6, registering just four points, four rebounds and two assists. While he still gives good defense every game, Wesley Matthews has actually found some success and has given the Bucks a small offensive boost with his dribble-drive offense. Matthews drove from the 3-point line and found a cutting Giannis Antetokounmpo who threw down a massive left-handed dunk on Grant Williams. If Wesley Matthews can keep doing what he’s doing defensively and giving a boost on offense, he’s doing his job.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: A

You really can’t ask anything more from Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s doing absolutely everything he can to get the Milwaukee Bucks back to the Eastern Conference Finals to continue defending their title. Giannis finished Game 6 with 44 points and 20 rebounds, his third 40-point game this series and the first 40-point, 20-rebound playoff game since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001.

Giannis also added six assists and two blocks, the unfortunate thing for Antetokounmpo is, he finished with six turnovers, some of which came from offensive fouls. Giannis finished with four fouls and had to play more conservative defense in the second half, especially when he almost picked up his fifth foul had it not been for a successful challenge by Mike Budenholzer. Whatever happens in Game 7 on Sunday, Giannis has given his all to this series.

Brook Lopez: C-

Brook Lopez scored six points in game 6, all in the first half. Lopez has shown himself capable of helping score points for the Milwaukee Bucks in this series, Lopez scored 13 points in Game 3 and 17 in Game 4, now just two points in Game 5 and the six in Game 6. On top of the slow scoring, Brook has yet to make a 3-point attempt in this series. Adding in the fact that Brook only managed to grab three rebounds and it begs the question, are the Bucks using Brook the right way? With Boston spending so much time with four smaller players and one big man on the floor, the Bucks should be looking to exploit the mismatches that Brook can draw if he sets a screen and the Celtics switch a smaller defender on to him.