The Milwaukee Bucks made up for their stinker in Utah, beating the Phoenix Suns 108-105, mainly due to a bunch of huge plays down the stretch. The Bucks moved the ball more and turned it over less than they did against the Jazz, resulting in a much more polished performance. 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
Ryan Rollins
33 minutes, 26 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 10/19 FG, 3/7 3P, +6
Obviously,
Ryan made the biggest shot of the night, but I thought this was one of his best all-around games of the year. Had significant usage with KPJ out, and made good decisions with the ball, creating for himself and others. Showed great ability to play with the drop-man in pick-and-roll, pulling up from three and the mid-range, whether it was off a snake or a straight pull-up. Made an impact defensively as well.
Grade: A+
Myles Turner
20 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2/3 FG, 1/2 3P, -7
Made a massive three late, but was caught a tad too deep in the drop on a few occasions, allowing Oso Ighodaro too much space in the pocket to get that floater off.
Grade: C+
Kyle Kuzma
23 minutes, 20 points, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 7/12 FG, 3/8 3P, +7
I thought Kuz was solid in this one, especially in the first half. Not much impact outside of scoring, but he made all his two-point shots (along with some timely threes), which is a good sign for him.
Grade: C+
AJ Green
17 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3/6 FG, 2/5 3P, -8
Scored six of his eight points in the second quarter, but all came in a crucial stretch where the game could have gotten away from the Bucks. Also made an impact by rebounding and setting some of the grittiest screens I’ve seen from a dude his size.
Grade: C+
Ousmane Dieng
32 minutes, 11 points, 5/11 FG, 1/3 3P, -2
If you just looked at the box score, you might think Ous played just OK. No, he was really good. Dieng was given the primary assignment on Devin Booker, and held him to 4/17 shooting. Ous had him in hell, especially throughout the fourth quarter; his size seemed to bother Booker, and crucially, his foul discipline was excellent. Yes, it wasn’t Dieng’s night from a scoring standpoint, but his defence might have won them the game.
Grade: B+
Pete Nance
27 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2/3 FG, 1/1 3P, +1
Sneakily, Doc rolled with Nance over Kuzma to close this one, and it paid off in a huge way. It was him who located Myles Turner in semi-transition as the Bucks had a numbers advantage with just over a minute to go; ran down the middle of the lane and, without any wasted motion, caught it knowing he’d be swarmed, hitting Turner in the corner.
Grade: B
Jericho Sims
24 minutes, 5 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1/1 FG, +5
Back to his elite rebounding ways, eight of Sims’ 11 boards were of the offensive variety. Guess how many O-boards the team had? eight! Also had some great passes and, per usual, was great switching onto their guards and containing.
Grade: B+
Cam Thomas
15 minutes, 7 points, 3 turnovers, 2/5 FG, 0/1 3P, -6
Had some important buckets to start the fourth with Rollins resting, but still wasn’t great on the whole.
Grade: C-
Taurean Prince
21 minutes, 8 points, 3/8 FG, 2/6 3P, +6
Even ventured inside the three-point line for a dunk. Defence was solid.
Grade: C-
Gary Trent Jr.
23 minutes, 11 points, 4/10 FG, 3/6 3P, +13
Made two huge threes in the fourth—one self-created (which is rare for GT) and one out of an ATO. He’s been building lately.
Grade: B-
Doc Rivers
Thought Doc coached a solid game. Opting to use Ous on Booker was great thinking. He got the likes of AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. shots out of ATOs when the team was desperately looking for a basket. Closing with Pete Nance for some extra size helped on defence down the stretch (along with his connective passing). Finally, I liked the strategy to blitz ball screens involving Suns rookie Khaman Maluach, who, at this stage in his career, needs a lot of work as a decision-maker on the short roll.
Grade: B+
DNP-CD : Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Cormac Ryan, Andre Jackson Jr.
Inactive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr., Alex Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Gary Harris
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Dieng on being given the assignment to guard Booker:
“I just love the challenge of guarding those players. Wasn’t my best night offensively, so just trying to make winning plays on the defensive end. He’s great at getting those fouls and getting to the free throw line, so just trying to show my hands, guarding him with my chest, and that’s it.”
- Doc called this game “a team win,” highlighting how so many dudes contributed.
- The Bucks had no turnovers in the entire second quarter.
- The Suns had four fouls with 9:41 left in the fourth, which has to be some type of record.
- Wsconsin Badgers legend Frank Kaminsky joined Lisa and Marques on the broadcast to reminisce on his college days, among other topics.
- The game had nine lead changes.
Up Next
The West Coast trip rolls on tomorrow, when the Bucks face the LA Clippers. Catch the game at 9:30 p.m. CDT on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
