It was an emotional day at Fiserv Forum last night. For the first time since the trade last season, Khris Middleton returned to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on opening night. Unfortunately for Middleton, his former running mate Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a world-class performance, leading the Bucks to a 133-120 win over the Washington Wizards. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.
Editor’s note: As you may
notice below, we’re trying something new this year in our extended game recaps. Check back soon to see how you can weigh in on these as well.
Player Grades
Giannis Antetokounmpo
26 minutes, 37 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 steals, 2 turnovers, 0 blocks, 4 fouls, 16/26 FG, 1/3 3PT, 4/7 FT, +10
What else can be said that hasn’t already been said about Giannis at this point? It was another outstanding performance, and something that we might be taking for granted.
Grade: A
Myles Turner
29 minutes, 11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 steals, 1 turnover, 3 blocks, 3 fouls, 4/12 FG, 2/8 3PT, 1/2 FT, +9
It wasn’t just a special night because of the return of Khris Middleton, but it was the Bucks’ debut of Myles Turner. While not very efficient last night, he filled up the stat sheet and helped set the tone with a big three-pointer and a dunk early.
Grade: B
Kevin Porter Jr.
9 minutes, 10 points, 2 assists, 0 rebounds, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 0 fouls, 3/5 FG, 2.3 3PT, 2/2 FT, +15
It’s really unfortunate that Porter suffered a left ankle sprain in the middle of the second quarter, because he was having a strong game. He was decisive, made extra passes, and played sound defense in addition to his potent offense. Plus, he added a dunk over CJ McCollum for good measure.
Grade: A
Gary Trent Jr.
24 minutes, 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 6/12 FG, 5/11 3PT, 0/0 FT, +3
Trent is falling into the old reliable category for how dependable he is. When the Wizards were threatening to cut the lead down even more in the third quarter, Trent hit back-to-back threes to keep Washington at bay.
Grade: B+
AJ Green
27 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4/6 FG, 3/5 3PT, 0/0 FT, +9
If you asked me to grade Green in the first quarter, I would have put him at an A+. He was putting on a performance reminiscent of his game in the preseason against the Pistons, when he went 5/5 from the three-point line. The lower grade comes from him tailing off the rest of the game, but he still brought it on defense.
Grade: B-
Bobby Portis
17 minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 0 fouls, 1/6 FG, 0/0 3PT, 0/0 FT, +6
It was a night to forget for Bobby Portis. While he played some decent defense at times, he was atrocious on the offensive end with that 1/6. He looked a bit out of sorts at times, so hopefully this is just a stinker of a game to get out of the way early in the season.
Grade: D
Kyle Kuzma
23 minutes, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 5/10 FG, 0/2 3PT, 2/2 FT, +7
I think the bench role really suits Kyle Kuzma. Last year, I remember he sometimes looked totally out of control and was just flinging layups off the backboard. Last night, Kuzma looked a lot more comfortable, and the fact that he had an efficient 12 points and finished with a +7 is something you’ll take every day of the week from Kuz.
Grade: B+
Ryan Rollins
29 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 2/9 FG, 1/6 3PT, 4/4 FT, -1
Rollins was pressed into a larger role with KPJ out, and he did a solid enough job filling in. He struggled at times on the offensive end, but he was aggressive and managed to get to the free-throw line a couple of times. If he can get the jumper back on track, then I think he’ll be just fine as the starting point guard with Porter out (however long that is).
Grade: B
Cole Anthony
12 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 4/5 FG, 1/2 3PT, 0/0 FT, +8
Another debut for one of the new Bucks, and Anthony had himself a solid game. While the five fouls don’t look great, there were some ticky-tack calls throughout this game on both sides that inflated the call numbers. Still, he filled his role well and played efficiently on the offensive end.
Grade: A-
Taurean Prince
22 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 1 foul, 4/5 FG, 3/4 3PT, 0/0 FT, +12
I almost put this as a C+ game for Prince, because I felt like this was the typical Taurean Prince game. Shoot efficiently from three-point range, play solid defense, and contribute in other areas. I bumped this up to B because he scored in double figures, which I don’t expect to happen often, given his relegation to a bench role.
Grade: B
Amir Coffey
12 minutes, 2 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 0 fouls, 1/1 FG, 0/0 3PT, 0/0 FT, -5
The newest face to the Bucks made his debut, but he didn’t do much. Largely invisible in the outcome of this game.
Grade: C-
Doc Rivers
There isn’t much to complain about when it came to how Rivers managed this game. He did a solid job, especially with his starting point guard going out. He got a double-digit win against a bad opponent at home, that’s the expectation, but I liked some of the lineups he ran out there, especially that starting group. Set the tone right away, and it was all Bucks from there.
Grade: B+
Garbage Time: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Gary Harris, Andre Jackson Jr., Jericho Sims
Inactive: Alex Antetokounmpo, Pete Nance, Mark Sears
Bonus Bucks Bits
- The update on Kevin Porter Jr didn’t sound promising, with Doc saying that it’s “a pretty bad sprain” and that KPJ will have an MRI tomorrow.
- Giannis did seem to hurt his hand and wrist on a hard fall he took after a flagrant from Bub Carrington, but Antetokounmpo said he’s ok.
- Outside of the game itself, the biggest story of the night was the return of Khris Middleton to Milwaukee. The franchise icon, who helped the Bucks capture their second title in franchise history, talked with the assorted media about what this night meant to him, especially after receiving three standing ovations:
“Since I saw the schedule, saw it was the first game, since then it’s been going through my mind. It was almost a perfect night if we would have got the win, but to get that type of recoginition and appricaition from the city, the orginzation, that meant the world to me. Thankfully I didn’t cry, but I heard some of my family members cried and freinds cried, and that means a lot to me that they all feel apart of this and that they all felt like they were back at home.”
- Giannis shared his thoughts on what it was like to play against his former teammate and someone whom he considers a brother:
“It was weird. This is my third time playing agaisnt him, obviosuly he had a very good game. He still can hoop, he’s still a big threat out there on the court, he always plays the right way, he makes his teammates better. It’s weird playing agaisnt him, but you understand this is the buisness that we are a part of.”
- Middleton, during the first half, took a charge from Giannis, and he talked about how it compared to other ones he’s taken in the past:
“ I don’t think I’m a little old to take a charge, but I think I’m a little older to jump and get a block. I saw his eyes light up when he saw me under the rim, so I knew either to foul, take a charge or get out the way. I wanted to set the right example for my teammates and got the charge. I’ve gotten worse hits from that guy, so that was light.”
- Milwaukee has now won five consecutive season openers.
- Giannis tied and broken quite a few season-opening personal bests, including scoring (tied), shooting percentage (new record at 61.5%), and field goals made (new record at 16). Giannis also picked up his ninth consecutive opening day double-double.
- Giannis wasn’t the only one to add to his resume, as his new running mate, Myles Turner, tied his second-highest assist total in a single game (five). He also notched his first game as a Buck with 10+ points and 3+ blocks, a feat he achieved 21 times with the Pacers last season (second in the league).
Up Next
The Bucks will be back in action on Friday for their first road game of the season. They’ll head north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors at 5:30 p.m. Central time. You can catch the action on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, as the Bucks will look to go to 2-0 on the young season. The Raptors moved up the start time of that game from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to accommodate Game 1 of the World Series, hosted nearby by the Toronto Blue Jays.
