In what can only be described as a tank-off (though I’d argue one team tried a lot more shenanigans than the other), the Milwaukee Bucks fall to the Brooklyn Nets 96-90. The loss brings the Bucks just one game behind the Bulls for the ninth-best draft odds. This win for the Nets means they lead the season series 2-1. 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
Pete Nance
26 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3/8
FG, 1/4 3P, -13
Nance was mostly invisible in this game. Didn’t have his shot going, but did somewhat of an impact through his passing.
Grade: C
Taurean Prince
36 minutes, 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 6/15 FG, 4/12 3P, +1
Shot worse than he had been, but made some big ones down the stretch (including a tough three from the deep corner). Also contributed in other areas such as rebounding. The four assists are nice until you see the turnovers; don’t quit your day job, TP.
Grade: C+
Ousmane Dieng
31 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 turnovers, 5/12 FG, 0/5 3P, -5
A really tough game for Ous, who seems to be hitting a wall as this season comes to a close. It’s understandable, with him never playing this much before, but still, you’d like for him to play better against a team like that. Having that many turnovers is unacceptable.
Grade: D+
AJ Green
38 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6/13 FG, 6/12 3P, -4
Was lukewarm for most of the game, but lit it up in the fourth, going 3/5 from three, including a clutch triple to bring the Bucks within two with 32 seconds left. I liked his physicality on defence as well.
Grade: B-
Jericho Sims
36 minutes, 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 6/9 FG, +7
It really seems like they’re making a point of using Jericho as a hub as the season winds down. His development as a DHO/short-roll operator has been tremendous.
Grade: A-
Cormac Ryan
33 minutes, 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 5/12 FG, 3/6 3P, -5
Didn’t shoot the ball from two as well as he had been, but still had some moments of brilliance. In particular, Ryan had a smooth “Pinoy step” in the second quarter (kind of like a slow euro-step with the shot fake on the first step… YouTube it if that made no sense, LOL).
Grade: B
Andre Jackson Jr.
15 minutes, 3 points, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 1/3 FG, 0/2 3P, 0
We might be coming to the end of the line with AJax. Just not a functional NBA player.
Grade: D-
Gary Harris
21 minutes, 7 points, 3/9 FG, 1/4 3P, -11
Did some nice things—including a one-legged three with the shot clock winding down in the first half—but all in all, not much to report, good or bad (in typical Gary Harris fashion). Good on him for wanting to play and compete in a game like this, though.
Grade: C
Doc Rivers
I mean, how much can you really judge Doc when the front office really took over for this one? I’ll keep echoing the point that the team is “playing the right way,” evidenced by having 25 assists on 45 made field goals.
Grade: C+
DNP-CD: Alex Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Inactive: Kevin Porter Jr., Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner, Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma, Gary Trent Jr., Ryan Rollins
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Prior to the game, Doc answered a question about how long he sees himself continuing to coach in the NBA: “I won’t answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see. I’ll let you figure it out from there.”
- Doc said the Nets getting to the line 23 times to the Bucks’ eight, along with Milwaukee’s 19 turnovers, were the biggest things that lost them the game. Singled out Ous as someone who has to value the ball better.
- Back home in New York, Cormac Ryan got a small but loud applause when he scored.
- The Nets were doing some shifty tanking stuff, such as not playing E.J. Liddell (their best player on the night) in the fourth quarter. Also, Nolan Traore is playing suspiciously low minutes and coming off the bench. Yes, the Bucks were also tanking (right?), but at least they played their best guys when it mattered.
- Milwaukee went on a 15-5 run late in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough.
Up Next
The Bucks are back in action tonight in Detroit at 6:00 p.m. CDT. Catch the game on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
