The Milwaukee Bucks kicked off the new year with an exciting crunch-time win over the Charlotte Hornets last night, capped off by a game-winner from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks left with more than
just a victory, as it was a night of milestones as well for Giannis and Ryan Rollins, the stars of the contest. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
Player Grades
Giannis Antetokounmpo
30 minutes, 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 11/18 FG, 8/8 FT, +21
Nothing can stop Giannis from being great— a minutes restriction could never hold him back. The Greek Freak posted a point per minute in this one, putting in work in the post and throwing down the game-winning alley-oop while also going perfect from the charity stripe. His performance is slightly blemished by how often he got blown by on the perimeter, though.
Grade: A-
Myles Turner
22 minutes, 1 point, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 0/4 FG, 0/2 3P, +6
Turner was largely invisible in this one, and he was rightfully on the bench in closing time. He’s getting paid 30-something million bucks and has to score more than one point.
Grade: D
Ryan Rollins
37 minutes, 29 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 11/13 FG, 6/7 3P, +12
This was an incredible offensive outing for Rollins, the type of game that screams future star. He was part of every big run the Bucks went on, drilling several momentum shots, including a clutch trey late in the fourth. Doc Rivers had high praise for him after the game (see Bonus Bucks Bits). The only thing keeping this from being an A+ for Rylo is how he struggled a bit to stay in front of his man on D.
Grade: A
Kevin Porter Jr.
36 minutes, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 4/14 FG, 0/4 3P, +1
KPJ made an impact without scoring much, taking pressure off Giannis by being an effective playmaker with the ball in his hands. His lob pass to the MVP at the end of the game was an awesome read. Inefficiency can’t warrant an A, but Scoot was solid.
Grade: B
AJ Green
41 minutes, 12 points, 3 assists, 4/13 FG, 3/10 3P, +4
Dairy Bird did his job last night. He didn’t excel in it, as he could have hit another shot or two or defended a little better, but he was trustworthy, hence his team-high 41 minutes played.
Grade: C+
Bobby Portis
22 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7/11 FG, 4/6 3P, -8
The Bucks wouldn’t have won without Bobby’s flurry early in the fourth quarter. He’s been a huge spark for this team more often than not in the past month. As always, though, the big fella had a couple head-scratching defensive moments.
Grade: B+
Kyle Kuzma
32 minutes, 18 points, 6 rebounds, 7/10 FG, 3/5 3P, -7
Like Rollins, Kuzma felt like a part of every major run Milwaukee put on. He hit his threes, including a clutch one with 10 seconds left, and took smart looks. Overall, an effective game from a guy who’s been memed and slandered so many times.
Grade: B+
Gary Trent Jr.
17 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0/3 FG, 0/3 3P, -17
Trent almost had a Tony Snell game last night, saved only by a couple of rebounds. He was a complete non-factor, if not a negative (as his plus/minus implies). GT hasn’t done much of anything for a few weeks now, and that’s got to change, or he’s going to have to start losing minutes to Gary Harris or Andre Jackson Jr.
Grade: F
Doc Rivers
This game can’t be put in the “Fire Doc” portfolio. Yes, it was closer than you’d hope for against a mediocre Hornets team (although the Bucks are also mediocre right now), but it didn’t feel like the man behind the clipboard was impeding the team at all. It’s not like he can sub in and get stops himself when all his guys are getting blown by and conceding advantages. Doc pressed the right rotation buttons, not riding Bobby Portis’s hot hand to the point of exhaustion and pulling the plug on Myles Turner before he hurt things too much. He also effectively navigated Giannis’ tight minutes restriction in a game where the big man really needed to be on the floor.
Grade: B
Limited Minutes: Jericho Sims
DNP-CD: Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey, Andre Jackson Jr., Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Inactive: Gary Harris, Taurean Prince, Pete Nance, Mark Sears, Alex Antetokounmpo
Bonus Bucks Bits
- With his 30 point, 10 board, five dime outing, Giannis officially became the all-time leader in 30-10-5 games with 158, which is only fitting considering he’s averaged those totals in three separate seasons.
- Despite that lofty achievement, Giannis passed the game ball along to Ryan Rollins, who hit some milestones of his own: 1,000 career points and a new career-high in three-point makes (6).
- Doc on Giannis, KPJ, and Rollins as a big three: “yeah, just gotta keep building that, keep getting better, Ryan is just playing. I mean, he plays off of Giannis right now better than anyone on our team. Scoot just gives Giannis a chance to get off the ball, so all three have been really good.”
- Charles Lee on offensive rebounding: “It’s also just a competitive advantage that maybe you can find throughout the game because it’s also one of those soul-crushing momentum plays, after you do a great job defensively getting the stop or forcing a tough shot, somebody flying in and getting an offensive rebound or getting a piece of one; it can change the momentum of the game, for sure.” The Hornets didn’t crush the Bucks on the glass tonight, but they have many times in the past. Perhaps Milwaukee needs to take some notes from their former assistant’s philosophy, as they’re currently dead last in offensive rebounds per game league-wide.
Up Next
Milwaukee will begin a Western Conference road trip with a “Bucks After Dark” game against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at 8 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network.
