Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Giannis Antetoknounmpo

Bucks crushed by Raptors, series tied 2-2

By

Khris Middleton – File Photo / Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images).

The Milwaukee Bucks dropped back-to-back games for the first time in the playoffs and just the second time all season, falling to the Raptors 120-102 in Toronto on Tuesday night.

The Bucks shot out of the gate playing well offensively, but that didn’t last long.  Defensively, the Bucks didn’t stop the Raptors all night.

Kyle Lowry finished with 25 points, 12 of them coming in the first quarter.  Kawhi Leonard had 19 points, Norman Powell added 18 points, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka added 17 and Fred VanVleet added 13 for the Raptors.

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 30 points and dished out seven assists and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25, with 11 of the 25 coming in the first quarter.

That was it for the Bucks, who got little from Eric Bledsoe again.  His minutes dropped to 20.  But his replacements, Malcolm Brogdon and George Hill struggled as well, giving the Bucks little from the guard position.

Brogdon, after scoring 20 points in game three, had just four points and missed his first eight shots.  George Hill took just two shots.

Ersan Ilyasova picked up four fouls in just 10 minutes and never got into a rhythm.  He finished with just seven points.

Whatever coach Mike Budenholzer tried didn’t work as the series draws even at two.  Now the Bucks have another quick turn-around, trying to figure out how they can get back on track.  Milwaukee hosts game five on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.

 

NBA All-Star reserves to be announced tonight

By

The NBA will name its all-star reserves at 6 p.m. CT Thursday night during TNT’s NBA Tip-off show and the Milwaukee Bucks are hoping for a strong showing.

Aside from Bucks all-star captain Giannis Antetokounmpo,  Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe are expected to receive strong consideration.

Middleton is averaging 17.3 points and 5.7 rebounds a game.  Bledsoe is tied with guard Malcolm Brogdon at 15.8 points a game.  Bledsoe is pulling down 4.5 rebounds a game.

The Bucks are in Toronto to face the Raptors tonight.  It’s a big game for the Bucks, who lead the season series two games to one.  A win tonight would give the Bucks the season series tie-breaker, which could lead to the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

 

Bucks keep rolling with win at Orlando, Johnson to have jersey retired

By

Eric Bledsoe poured in a season high 30 points on 12 of 14 shooting to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their fourth straight win, 118-108 over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center in Orlando on Saturday night.

The Bucks led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter before Orlando chipped away and trailed by as little as two points early in the fourth.  That’s when Bledsoe took over, scoring 12 of his 30 points in the final quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.  Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting and D.J. Wilson finished with eight points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

The Bucks closed out their stretch of five out of six games on the road with a 5-1 record.  They return home for a pair of games, starting with a 1 p.m. tip against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday at Fiserv Forum.

Bucks to retire Johnson’s No. 8

The Milwaukee Bucks announced that they will retire Marques Johnson’s jersey No. 8, making him the ninth Bucks player to be so honored.  He’ll be the first player to have his number retired since the Bucks opened Fiserv Forum.

The ceremony will take place Sunday, March 24th when the Bucks take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.  That’s the day before Johnson’s mother will be celebrating her 92nd birthday.

Johnson played for the Bucks from 1977-’84 and averaged 21.0 points a game, which ranks fourth-most in team history.  His jersey retirement is considered by most as long overdue.

Bucks quick start leads to convincing win over Portland

By

Giannis Antetokounmpo – (File Photo) – Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

Slow starts have been a problem for the Milwaukee Bucks recently, but that was not the case on Wednesday night.  The Bucks jumped out to a 19 point lead in the opening quarter on Portland and cruised to a 143-100 win over the Trailblazers at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and added 16 rebounds and nine assists as the Bucks cruised to their 13th win (13-4).  They’re 3-1 on their current six-game home stand.

Portland entered with the best record in the Western Conference and they had beaten the Bucks in Portland back on November 6th.  The Bucks got revenge for that loss on Wednesday night.

The Bucks scored 72 points in the paint and hit 15 of 45 from three-point range.  Six Bucks scored in double figures.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum scored 22 points each to lead Portland in defeat.

The Bucks have Thanksgiving Day off and return to action on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns at Fiserv Forum.

Bucks First Round of Head Coach Interviews Nearly Complete

By

The Milwaukee Bucks are nearly done with their first round of interviews for their head coaching position.

 Milwaukee will next interview Spurs assistant Becky Hammon and former Cavs coach David Blatt.  The team met with former New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams Thursday, and it’s possible another assistant could join the first round of interviews. 

 The team has also interviewed Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, former Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, and former Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer.  Interim coach Joe Prunty interviewed with the team this past Wednesday.

 Once the first round is done, GM Jon Horst will pair down the list of candidates to three or four.  It’s then that the Bucks ownership group will become involved in the process. 

 Another name that could become a possibility is Dwayne Casey, who was fired by the Toronto Raptors on Friday after they were swept in the second round of the playoffs.  Casey led Toronto to the top regular season record in the Eastern Conference, and was named the NBA’s coach of the year.

Bucks fall hard in Indianapolis

By

The Milwaukee Bucks suffered an embarrassing defeat on Monday night, 109-96 to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  The game wasn’t as close as the final score.

The Bucks trailed by 20-points or more for most of the night.  Indiana went on a 20-0 run over a six minutes stretch of the opening quarter to break the game open early.

By the time the dust settled on the first quarter, the Pacers were up 37-16 and let by as many as 27 points in the second quarter.  The Bucks made just 5 of 18 from the field (27.8%) in the first quarter.  The Pacers hit 17 of 24 from the field (70.8%) in the quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo made just three field goals on eight attempts (both season lows).  He finished with 17 points, just the second time Giannis has scored under 20 points this season.

The Bucks return to the court on Wednesday night at home against the Orlando Magic (12-28).

Bucks fall to Raptors in OT

By

The Milwaukee Bucks saw their two-game winning streak come to an end, falling to the Toronto Raptors 131-127 in overtime at the Air Canada Centre.

Eric Bledsoe led the Bucks with 29 points, scoring 11 of the teams 13 points in overtime.  Giannis Antetokounmpo added 26 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists, but managed just two points in overtime.

The Bucks trailed most of the night, but took a four-point lead (110-106) with just over two minutes to play in regulation.  Then with the game tied at 114 with 3.2 seconds left, the Bucks had a chance to win it in regulation but couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.

DeMar DeRozan set a Raptors franchise record by scoring 52 points to lead all scorers.

The Bucks return home Wednesday night to host the Indiana Pacers (19-18).  The Pacers are 3-7 in their last 10-games.