The Milwaukee Bucks marched into TD Garden on Wednesday for a clash between the East's top two teams as they visited the Boston Celtics.
Some air was undoubtedly taken out of the hype surrounding the game when it was announced that Giannis Antetokounmpo, battling a hamstring issue, would not play. That also made things much more difficult for Milwaukee, obviously. What followed was a roller coaster ride that saw the Bucks down by as many as 21, only for them to be down by two in the closing moments.
Ultimately, despite their best effort, the Bucks fell short to their foe, falling 122-119 on the road after a tense fourth quarter. In a game that was as turbulent as this, there were several standout showings, both good and bad. With all of that finally said, we're going to highlight these outings by picking out three studs - players who showed up - and duds - players who did not.
Stud - Khris Middleton
After missing over a month, Khris Middleton returned to action in Milwaukee's recent victory vs. the Phoenix Suns, looking like he had not missed a beat. That momentum carried over into this matchup, as the veteran was in an excellent groove throughout.
In 32 and a half minutes, Middleton finished with 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting, including 2-for-3 on his 3-point tries, six assists, four rebounds and a block and a steal apiece. Offensively, Middleton was excellent, knocking down his shots and moving very fluidly.
While the other two studs were playing well offensively in their own rights, one might have liked to see Middleton get more than 11 shots when he's in such a nice rhythm. However, he made sure to get his teammates involved with those six assists, taking on more ball-handling duties with Giannis sidelined.
Above all else, it is great to see Middleton playing this well coming off such an extended absence due to that ankle injury. It seems like the rest has done him good. The Milwaukee Bucks undoubtedly need him to play at this type of level to reach their title dream at the end of the season.
Dud - Brook Lopez
Frustrating would be the best way to describe this performance from Brook Lopez. In 21 minutes, he had eight points, four assists and two blocked shots, which was good, but he also had four personal fouls and two turnovers. It seemed like whenever the Bucks started gaining momentum, an offensive foul or poor decision from Lopez would send the ball the other way.
This was also a tough night for Lopez matchup-wise, as Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford both have an element of versatility that gave the big man fits. Other bigs who can shoot the long ball are known to give Lopez trouble, which happened here. Milwaukee saw a lot of their second half success when they went away from Lopez, which was the right move on this particular night.
Stud - Damian Lillard
With Antetokounmpo out, Lillard took the reins to lead the charge. After an incredibly slow start, it felt like Lillard was trending toward landing in dud territory, but he got himself out of that rut by continuing to let it fly. Soon enough, he was red-hot and helped fuel the Milwaukee Bucks' comeback attempt.
In 36 minutes, Lillard tallied 32 points on 52.4 percent shooting, knocking in six of his 10 3-point tries. For a bit, he was a man possessed, particularly from 3-point range, hitting an array of tough jumpers despite the excellent defense. He also had six assists, four rebounds and a steal.
The biggest knocks on Lillard were his four turnovers and his missed layup in the closing moments that ended Milwaukee's comeback attempt. Still, the good outweighed the bad, as Lillard put up an impressive outing and helped keep the Bucks alive until the very end. This is the Lillard they need.
Dud - Malik Beasley
Most nights, Malik Beasley has been nothing short of a fantastic addition to the Milwaukee Bucks, but this was not one of those contests. The starting two-guard finished with just six points on 2-of-8 field goal shooting, struggling mightily to get himself into a groove.
On top of his poor shooting, Beasley committed a devastating and unnecessary foul on Jaylen Brown with 20 seconds left to play and the Bucks down by two. The foul sent Brown to the line, where he put the Celtics up by four points and essentially put an end to Milwaukee's comeback try.
Stud - Bobby Portis
Bobby Portis has been on a bit of a roll following the NBA All-Star break, and that trend continued in this matchup with Boston. Like Lillard, he got off to a slow start, but after a few shot attempts, he got going, pouring in 24 points while also collecting 15 rebounds. He scored 14 of those 21 points in the final frame as he helped stage Milwaukee's comeback attempt in a big way.
Despite his missed free throw late that would have pulled the Bucks within one just before Beasley's poor foul, this was a good game for the big man. It's beyond welcoming to see him score and grab a handful of rebounds with authority like the Bobby Portis of old. They need this play from him all the time, especially when playing top competitors like the Boston Celtics.
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