Down key guys, the Milwaukee Bucks, once again, battled diligently but ran out of gas, this time losing 123-116 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bucks went a sizzling 20/45 (44.4%) from three, but shot only 17 free throws to the Cavs’ 34, which was the swing stat that lost them the game. 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, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 fouls, 6/13 FG, 2/7 3P, -5
Got in foul trouble
again, but continued his streak of solid games. Was able to break down most everyone on the Cavs and get to his shot, whether it’s the trusty stepback or hesitation to the rim. Also had some really good defensive possessions when he wasn’t fouling. Wish he’d shot better from three, though.
Grade: B+
Kyle Kuzma
16 minutes, 3 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists, 1/6 FG, 1/4 3P, -6
You could tell from the first quarter that this wasn’t going to be a Kuz game against Cleveland’s bigger frontline. Was forced into playing as a jumpshooter, and that didn’t work. Had a few nice connections with Sims, at least.
Grade: C-
AJ Green
26 minutes, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2/7 FG, 2/7 3P, +6
AJ took the shots he had to take, and they just didn’t go down—that is the life of a specialist in the NBA. I thought his defence was still solid, particularly his ability to stand his ground against bigger bodies.
Grade: C
Ousmane Dieng
29 minutes, 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 7/12 FG, 5/8 3P, 0/2 FT +2
Wow. I was super impressed with Ous. The majority of his threes were self-created, as he isolated on perceived mismatches and got to that tursty rocker stepback a la James Harden (who he played, ironically), knocking it down with relative ease. He also had some great defensive possessions, battling through physicality and giving it right back, which might’ve been the part of his game I loved the most. The only demerit is that he still never gets to the line.
Grade: A
Bobby Portis
32 minutes, 19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 8/19 FG, 3/7 3P, +8
The shooting efficiency makes Bobby’s game look worse than it was. He kept the Bucks close throughout key parts of the game with some ridiculous shot-making. Portis has truly become a great shooter under duress; the issue was that it was really the only form of shot he got all night. BP did get lost a good number of times in pick-and-roll coverage as well.
Grade: B
Pete Nance
29 minutes, 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5/6 FG, 3/4 3P, +7
Man, watching Pete’s evolution throughout the year has been great. His release has gotten so much faster, and he just gets in the right spots. Had an awesome crash in transition for the putback last night, all built on pure effort.
Grade: A
Jericho Sims
16 minutes, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2/3 FG, -18
I don’t think Jericho played all that badly; Doc just seemed to opt for more spacers given the circumstances of the game. Sims did his job when he was in there.
Grade: C
Kevin Porter Jr.
32 minutes, 25 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 8/15 FG, 1/4 3P, -9
Really solid game from KPJ. The three-ball wasn’t falling, but the mid-range was. On multiple instances, he had the rock with a low shot clock and did one of his signature shimmy step-backs for the bucket. He was also working defensively, stonewalling the Cavs guards a few times, in addition to getting two blocks. Plus, don’t forget about the 10 helpers for just one giveaway.
Grade: A
Taurean Prince
22 minutes, 8 points, 3/6 FG, 2/4 3P, -20
Not many notes from TP’s game; like AJ, he did his job. I’m a little shocked, honestly, that he looks so smooth from a movement standpoint, given what he’s coming back from.
Grade: C+
Doc Rivers
I really believe Doc coaches better when Giannis is out. This has been a theme since his Clipper days; he’s better with a rag-tag crew than a superstar-laden one, and last night was an example of that. Rivers shortened his rotation, and as you can see from my grades, I don’t think anyone he put on the floor performed all that poorly; they were just outmatched by a team with way more firepower. But to be in that game right until the final few minutes is a testament to the job Doc did. They hit a lot of the pressure points in Cleveland’s defence, but it just wasn’t enough.
Grade: B+
DNP-CD: Gary Harris, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Gary Trent Jr., Cormac Ryan, Cam Thomas, Andre Jackson Jr.
Inactive: Alex Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Just more on the Dieng “rocker step-back”: it’s the same move Harden does where it’s not really even a step-back from where the player is standing; it’s more like a step-forward with one foot and then a step-back to where they were in the first place. Ous had two or three of them last night.
- Dieng also said postgame that he was still feeling pretty sick the morning of this game. Obviously, he missed the last two with illness and went out early in the game before that.
- The fact that the Bucks keep losing the free-throw game so badly needs to change if they are ever to become serious. Currently 29th in FTAs on the season.
- But hey, at least the Bucks got up nine more threes than the Cavs did.
- Another DNP for Cam Thomas. Yikes.
- I believe last night was the first time Cormac Ryan dressed.
- Pete Nance hit a three, and his brother Larry was seen smiling on the Cavs’ bench.
- Jaylon Tyson—who carried Cleveland earlier in the season—was ineffective last night. Tough for him to find his place with them bringing in Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder, though.
- Sporting a new haircut, Max Strus played in just his second game of the year for the Cavs.
Up Next
The Bucks kick off a four-game trip to the West Coast in Utah tomorrow. Catch the game on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 8:00 p.m. CDT.
