The Milwaukee Bucks respond to their worst game of the year with a gritty win tonight, beating the Phoenix Suns 108-105 in a nail-biting affair. Ryan Rollins dazzled for the Bucks with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Jalen Green led the Suns with 24 points.
Game Recap
Like their previous game against the Jazz, the Bucks started poorly, allowing a 9-0 run to open. Also, like their game against Utah, Milwaukee turned the ball over at an unacceptably high rate to open, giving it
away three times in as many minutes. Ultimately, it was not a pretty first quarter for both teams; from 7:27 to 3:50, there were just three points scored. The Suns got going to close the period, though, up 26-15 after one.
It was the AJ Green resurgence to open the second quarter. The Bucks ran their customary ATO (after timeout) set for Green, and he finally nailed a shot after a rough few games. AJ used that stroke on the next possession to get his defender in the air, driving and dumping off to Pete Nance for the layup. Then, he caught it on the wing with minimal space and let that thing fly, bringing the deficit back to just four, 25-29, after three minutes. It wasn’t as if the Bucks lit the world on fire over the next few minutes, but they collectively bought in on the defensive end and were able to get easier looks running off misses; over a 3:30 stretch, the Bucks went on a 20-7 run to take a six-point lead with four minutes left. Kyle Kuzma was key during the second, scoring 13 points on 5/7 shooting. Bucks up 57-52 at half.
A Ryan Rollins three on Milwaukee’s first possession put the Bucks up eight, but the Suns responded with an 11-2 run, spearheaded by Oso Ighodaro and Collin Gillespie. The visitors hung tough, though, with Prince and Rollins firing right back with a quick seven points between them. The game remained within six (or so) points for the rest of the quarter. I do want to note that Ousmane Dieng was given the job on Devin Booker and, although Booker made shots here and there, Ous did a great job moving his feet and being physical; it really opened my eyes as to what his future role could be on this team. Some late scrappy play by Phoenix had them up one, 82-81, at the end of three.
A nifty Cam Thomas cameo to open the fourth had the game tied at 84 after the opening few minutes. With Devin Booker on the bench, the Suns responded with a 7-0 run primarily through Jalen Green. However, a crucial step-back jack from Gary Trent Jr., followed by a Rollins swing-through and-one, had the Bucks down just one, 93-92, going into the final five minutes. Doc called a timeout after Jalen Green knifed into the lane to put Phoenix up three, drawing up a down-screen set for the aforementioned Trent, who nailed the triple—all tied up at 95 with 4:30 on the clock. Back to my prior point, Dieng would later rip Jalen Green and score on the break, followed by a floater in the lane, and voila, the Bucks were up five with 2:20 left. But of course, this game had more turns to come, with Booker nailing an and-one three to bring the lead back to just one. However, the Bucks would close with one of their best sequences of the year: kick out three to Myles Turner (cash), Dieng stonewalling Booker another time, and Rollins nailing the and-one; Bucks up 108-104 with 23.8 seconds on the clock, grabbing the win.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks had 20 assists on 39 made field goals; they moved the ball extremely well.
