With Giannis sitting this one out, the Milwaukee Bucks sleepwalked through their game with the Charlotte Hornets, losing 111-100. Ryan Rollins played really well, but just about everyone else failed to show up. Miles Bridges top-scored for the Hornets with 20 points, and five other Hornets reached double figures. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
29 minutes, 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists 7/14 FG, 3/8 3P, -12
I thought Myles played well on offence, setting good screens and being aggressive. That said, Doc may have to consider having Turner play more of the Lopez-style drop instead of the aggressive coverage he’s currently in when it’s not working; he was getting burned way too much last night by drivers getting past his hips.
32 minutes, 25 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 10/15 FG, 4/6 3P, -5
What do you know? Another great Rollins game. Look, Ryan’s performance was really the only good thing to come out of this game. He was efficient on offence, though I thought he took half a step back on D. Still, if Ryan hadn’t played, this would have been a 30-point loss.
27 minutes, 3 points, 1/4 FG, 1/3 3P, -9
As a guy who can’t really self-create, AJ struggled to make an impact last night without Giannis. Not much more to say about it. He didn’t really hurt the team like some others did, but he didn’t help much either.
29 minutes, 2 points, 4 assists, 1/5 FG, 0/2 3P, -25
Yikes! Yet another nothing-y game for Gary. To GT’s defence, he can’t consistently create for himself (though I’m not sure he knows this), so he’s going to look worse without Giannis playing. At the same time, it’s undeniable how bad he looks out there doing anything but catching and shooting right now (did you see him on the fast break?). Gary’s defence is also quite gimmicky and has not been very effective this season.
29 minutes, 8 points, 4 assists, 3/12 FG, 0/2 3P, -12
Yeah, there was no Kuzmania last night. None at all. This game was reminiscent of last season; he was missing layups, taking ill-advised shots, and generally looking out of control. No bueno.
18 minutes, 4 points, 3 assists, 2/12 FG, -18
Uhhhh, is it time to look at Mark Sears to replace Anthony in the rotation? Maybe not just yet, but it’s bad right now for Cole. This game was a new low, which is actually tough to do after his last few games. He had no plan on offence, just taking loads of low-quality shots (mostly fading mid-rangers). And then you’re obviously getting next to nothing on defence.
23 minutes, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7/12 FG, -6
Overall, Bobby played an OK game. He gave them a spark on offence in that third-quarter run. Portis did get outrebounded by Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate quite frequently, which wasn’t ideal; that said, Kalkbrenner is massive, and Diabate is one of the top offensive rebounders in the NBA. Bobby is not the answer to the Bucks’ rebounding woes, but fans already knew that.
18 minutes, 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1/2 FG, -8
Considering his limitations, Jericho was alright in his minutes. He did his job, and I do like the fact that he had a few assists. However, it should be noted that Pete Nance might actually be a better fit as the fourth big on this team because of his increased offensive capabilities (despite him being slighter than Sims).
Look, this team will always struggle to some degree without Giannis, given its current setup, so I can’t put that on Doc. That said, the Hornets were also missing two of their best players in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, and barely broke a sweat pummeling the Bucks. The combination of Green and Trent is not really working, especially on defence, but I’m not sure what the alternative is. Maybe they try Amir Coffey to get some more size and foot speed. I thought the zone helped that third-quarter run, so credit to Doc for that, I guess? But it also felt like Charlotte just missed a bunch of open shots. I think what buttons Doc pushes from here will reveal a lot about his ability to problem-solve.
Limited Minutes: Amir Coffey
Garbage Time: Gary Harris, Andre Jackson Jr., Thanasis Antetokoumpo, Mark Sears, Pete Nance
Inactive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr., Taurean Prince, Alex Antetokounmpo
- This was another solid showing from Mark Sears in garbage time (seven points on 2/3 from deep in six minutes). At the very least, I do think his ability to shoot off the catch could well be better than Cole Anthony’s. Can he get downhill and create against NBA athletes? That’s a legit question. But if Anthony keeps playing like this, Sears could be worth a try.
- Same thing for Pete Nance, who has clearly improved over the summer (10 points on 4/5 shooting in four minutes).
- The Bucks lost second-chance points 5-19.
- Moussa Diabate’s ability to grab offensive rebounds needs to be studied. It’s on the scouting report every night, and yet he still grabs them at a ridiculous rate.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, who the Hornets picked up early in the second round, looks like an absolute steal.
- Former Buck Pat Connaughton dropping an efficient 11 on the Bucks was the most predictable thing ever, LOL. The Bucks players embraced PC after the game, which was nice to see.
The Bucks head home to play the Charlotte Hornets once again on Friday, this time in an NBA Cup game. Watch at 7:00 p.m. Central on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
