Milwaukee gets a big win before their road trip
Despite wild circumstances, the Milwaukee Bucks overcame wild travel scenarios and destroyed the Miami Heat at home, 125-96.
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?
The Bucks did a magnificent job of overcoming adversity. I mean, it’s wild. They fly to New Orleans a day early, thinking they’re playing Wednesday. That game is cancelled. They then try to get home to Milwaukee, only to have their landing delayed to just hours before tonight’s game.
Three Observations
Gary Trent Jr. started the ignition.
When the Bucks were down to start the game and shots weren’t falling, they needed somebody to step up. Last night, that person was Gary Trent. His flurry of threes in the first half served as the catalyst in creating the separation that the Bucks wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way. It was a truly impactful game from him in this one.
Damian Lillard put forth an extremely balanced performance.
Though it was initially announced that he had earned his first triple-double with the Bucks, Lillard ultimately had a rebound stripped away from him from New York. However, while it was disappointing, it didn’t take away from his lethal stat line of 29 points, nine boards, and 11 assists. In Doc’s presser, he attributed Lillard’s continued ability to work downhill and find ways to discover his teammates. He said it’s funny how when Dame and Giannis have high assist nights, they tend to score the ball too.
Gary Trent wasn’t the only guy off the bench who contributed.
In addition to Trent’s big game, Bobby Portis also electrified things with 16 points and eight rebounds. Postgame, Doc gave kudos to his whole bench, highlighting how they don’t possess good shooters in that area of the team, but great shooters. That’s going to be a crucial weapon the Bucks have as the season progresses.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- I’m a fan of the Heat’s Vice City uniforms. Those colors are just brilliant.
- The Bucks now take on the Clippers in Los Angeles tomorrow. When asked about it, Bobby Portis and others mentioned how they knew what they signed up for and that they’ll be ready (and thankful for the warm weather).
- Damian Lillard was adamant that he should get his rebound back for his triple-double. In a jokingly yet still serious manner, he said he held onto possession for as long as Brook did, and then Brook released his hands, seemingly giving Dame the board.
- With a 125-96 victory over the Heat tonight, the Bucks have now won six consecutive games at Fiserv Forum and eight of their last nine games overall. Milwaukee improves to 25-17 this season and 16-7 when playing at home, marking the fourth-most home wins by any team this season.
- Milwaukee has now scored 120+ points in five straight games, averaging 126.0 points per game over this span. The Bucks are also allowing just 105.0 ppg over this five-game win streak, and their 96 points allowed last night marked the fourth time this season they’ve held an opponent under 100 points.
Up Next
The Bucks now head out on a west coast road trip, beginning with action against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. You can catch the action at 9:30 p.m. CST on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin or stream it on our Playback and YouTube channels.