The Bucks hosted the Washington Wizards as they looked for their ninth win of the season.
The Bucks starters were:
Eric Bledsoe
Tony Snell
Khris Middleton
Giannis Antetokounmpo
John Henson
The Wizards starters were:
John Wall
Bradley Beal
Otto Porter Jr.
Markieff Morris
Marcin Gortat
Markieff Morris kicked things off for the Wizards with a short jumper, but the Bucks scored seven of the next eight points to grab an early lead. The Wizards scored the next eight points after that, though, and were up 11-7 by midway through the opening quarter. Washington eventually expanded that to a 14-0 run, but Giannis finally, mercifully, ended it with a hard driving layup to make it 17-9. It stayed even for the rest of the quarter, and a long, buzzer-beating 2 from Thon Maker made it 27-19 Wizards at the end of the quarter. Bradley Beal led all scorers with 9, followed by 8 from Giannis and 7 from Otto Porter Jr. The Wizards outshot the Bucks 55%-37%, and outrebounded them 13-9 to open the game.
DeAndre Liggins opened the second for the Bucks with a nice three, but the Bucks couldn’t get within a single possession for the first few minutes of the quarter. By the six minute mark, the Wizards held on to a solid 39-31 lead. The Bucks then ripped off six straight points (capped by Bledsoe’s second steal-and-score of the game) to pull within two for the first time all quarter, and a Khris Middleton to John Henson alley-oop a bit after that finally tied the game up. Giannis then followed up with a layup to make it a 10-0 run and give the Bucks their first lead since the opening minutes. The Wizards tied it up to end the run, and were able to reclaim the lead and go into halftime up 47-46. Beal led all scorers with 11, and Giannis and Otto Porter Jr. each put in 10. The Wizards outshot the Bucks 50%-44% from the field and 31%-18% from beyond the arc, but the Bucks made up the difference with 7 steals (5 from Eric Bledsoe alone) to Washington’s 3.
Giannis started things off for the Bucks with a long two, and they started the third with a 9-3 run to grab and build a lead. The Wizards promptly tied it up at 55, though, and led 58-57 by midway through the third. It stayed even after that with both offenses stalling a bit, and the Wizards led 66-64 with two minutes left. The Wizards (and specifically Bradley Beal) scored the next seven straight points, though, and it took a Gary Payton II layup under the basket to cut the Wizards lead to 73-66 going into the final quarter. Bradley Beal led all scorers with 21 points, and he was followed by Giannis with 15. The Wizards outshot the Bucks 53%-44% from the field and 40%-18% from distance. They also outrebounded the Bucks 35-25, and it was only Milwaukee’s 6-13 turnover advantage that kept them in the game after three quarters.
Giannis got fouled and made one of two free throws to begin the final quarter for the Bucks, but the Wizards were up 10 again (at 77-67) just 75 seconds into the quarter. Washington ended up starting the quarter on a 13-4 run, and held a strong 89-74 lead at the midway point. The Bucks showed a bit of life after that with a quick 5-0 run (after a nice Eric Bledsoe three) to pull within 12, prompting a Wizards timeout. Marcin Gortat put in a little hook floater off the timeout to end Milwaukee’s run, but the Bucks were finally able to get within 10 points with 90 seconds left after Eric Bledsoe made it 97-88. John Wall subsequently got fouled and made both free throws, though, and the Wizards were able to ultimately ice away a 99-88 win to go to 10-7 on the season. Bradley Beal and Giannis both had a game-high 23 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr. followed with 18. The Bucks did have an impressively low 9 turnovers compared to Washington’s 16, but that was about the only stat they bested the Wizards in.
Three big things
Bradley Beal – Beal was the biggest offensive threat on the court all night, as he led all scorers at the end of each quarter. He finished with 23 points on 10-16 shooting (2-5 from three-point range) and also added 5 assists, a steal, and a block. Wall was a game-time decision and stepped back this game, but Beal had no problem leading the offense to an easy win. The Wizards have four or five guys who can hang 20+ on you on any given night, and tonight Beal showed that he can be that guy more often than not.
D.C. Dominance – While the Bucks were able to mask it with a nice 10-0 run in the second, they were flat-out outplayed tonight. They were outshot 53%-44% from the field (and 39%-18% from beyond the arc), outrebounded 46-33, and only had 17 assists to Washington’s 23. The Wizards visibly pulled away in the third, but they controlled this game all the way through. Giannis put in his part, and while the rest of the Bucks starters scored in double figures (Middleton with 15, Bledsoe with 14, and Henson and Snell with 10 each), they needed a few more outstanding individual performances.
Gary Payton II – Jason Kidd missed today’s game because of the birth of his daughter, so Joe Prunty took the reins, and he appears to be a Gary Payton II fan. Payton II got 15 minutes tonight (almost double the game time he had logged the whole season before this, though he has spent a lot of time with the Wisconsin Herd), and put in 8 points on an efficient 4-6 night from the field. He also added a steal, had the third-best plus/minus mark on the team, and was a big part of the 10-0 run in the second quarter that gave them a chance. Anyone who follows me on twitter knows how much I love Gary Payton II, and if he keeps playing like this you all will too. He did have 4 fouls in his first 9 minutes, though, which kept him from having even more minutes, so he’ll have to watch that.
Plus/minus hero
Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe was a big reason this game wasn’t even a bigger loss for the Bucks, as his 6 steals and 2 blocks show his impact on the defensive end. While he still hasn’t had a huge offensive game for the Bucks, his defensive effect on the first six games is undeniable. Bledsoe also put in 14 points on 6-13 from the field tonight, along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. If he can just start scoring at a more consistent clip, the Bucks will get back to their winning ways no problem.
Well, the Bucks are back to .500 at 8-8. Tune in on Wednesday night at 8:00 PM CT as the Bucks head to Phoenix!