Milwaukee ends four game skid without Giannis
On a franchise-changing day, seeing Khris Middleton reportedly being traded to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma, the Milwaukee Bucks put things together on the court against the Charlotte Hornets, beating them 112-102. Damian Lillard played his role to perfection with 29 points, 12 assists, four rebounds, and two steals. After Giannis was a late scratch to the lineup, Bobby Portis stepped in and played one of the better games of his career, pouring in 23 points, grabbing 17 rebounds, and dishing out five assists. Nick Smith Jr. led the shorthanded Hornets with 23 points on 9/15 shooting. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
What Did We Learn?
Brook Lopez ran a ton of pick-and-pop with Lillard with no Giannis and it worked out pretty well. Lillard is known for being one of the pick-and-roll ball handlers and Brook is an excellent partner to be a screener in those plays. They killed the Hornet’s young center, Mark Williams, in those actions all night long and Brook made him pay. Lopez nailed four threes in the first five minutes and from there, the Bucks took advantage on the inside, with them having a nearly even split between points from three and points inside the arc (54 from three vs. 46 inside (12 free throw makes).
Three Lillard Plays
Lillard has been doing more and more of a facilitator over the last seven games for the Bucks. In that span, he’s been averaging nine assists per game to go along with his scoring prowess, averaging 25.6 points per game. The first quarter of last night’s game was a perfect encapsulation of that, with Lillard starting the game with 11 points and six assists. Here are his best three plays of the first quarter:
Let him step back and kiss himself
Lillard is still one of the best in the game when it comes to creating space for himself in one-on-one situations. In one of the many pick-and-pops the Bucks ran last night, Lillard found himself switched onto Josh Green and used the leverage on his right shoulder to create space. All Green was able to do was offer a feeble contest as Lillard drilled the mid-range shot.
The aforementioned pick-and-pop between Dame and Brook is beautiful
Why the Hornets continued to play deep drop zone last night against Lopez is beyond me. Either that or the rotations were so bad that they never recovered out to Lopez at the three-point line. In this play in particular, I think it was the latter, with Miles Bridges putting a horrendous effort in rotation. He doesn’t even hedge over and force Lopez to make a decision, rather sitting hoping that the ball doesn’t go to Portis. Credit to Dame and Brook for recognizing the coverage and making the best play on this play.
Never sag off on Lillard in the high pick-and-roll
When will teams ever learn? You can never sag off on Lillard, especially in a high screen-and-roll. Andre Jackson Jr. sets a high screen on Green, and instead of fighting through the screen, he lets AJax come through and lets KJ Simpson out to dry. Lillard pulls up from 33 feet, and by the time Lillard lines up the shot, Green is looking the other way and not involved in the play at all.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- For the first time in 12 years (outside of injury), the Milwaukee Bucks played without Khris Middleton, who was reportedly shipped to the Washington Wizards along with AJ Johnson in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and Patrick Baldwin. Giannis spoke pre-game about his relationship with Middleton and what he meant to him:
“For me, my brotherhood with Khris is the most important thing I’ve had within this team for a lot of years. We’re the oldest guys. Not the oldest guys, but been here together for 12 years. There’s so many moments together. I’ve been around Khris more tha I’ve been around my brothers and my family. I’ve had incredible moments on the court with him. We’re definitely; everybody’s gonna miss him.
- For the third time in seven games, Damian Lillard finished with a double-double (or better), after going for those 29 points and 12 assists.
- After a stinker of a game on Sunday against the Grizzlies, Gary Trent Jr. has bounced back with two straight games with double-figure scoring, going for 10 against the Oklahoma City Thunder and 13 points last night against the Hornets on 3/5 shooting from beyond the arc.
- While Portis stole the show in his return to action, Brook Lopez got the offense rolling early. Within the first five minutes of the game, he nailed four threes, helping the Bucks get out to a 21-16 lead. While Lopez would only go on to score two more points the entire night, it was a much-needed opening salvo.
Up Next
The Milwaukee Bucks will keep it on the road as they go for win number two on this short road trip, traveling to Atlanta to play the Hawks. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST, so make sure to catch it on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin or our Playback and YouTube channels.
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