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Giannis named NBA’s Most Valuable Player (Audio)

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

The Milwaukee Bucks may have finished two wins shy of a trip to the NBA Finals, but they cleaned up at the NBA Awards ceremony on Monday night in Los Angeles.

After Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer was named the NBA Coach of the Year and GM Jon Horst captured Executive of the Year honors, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was awarded the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player award for the 2018-19 season.

While leading the Bucks to their best record since the 1980-81 season and the top mark in the NBA at 60-22, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points (3rd in the NBA), 12.5 rebounds (6th in the NBA) and 5.9 assists (T-20th in the NBA) per game, all career-highs.  He also shot a franchise record 57.8% from the field (11th in the NBA), blocked 1.5 shots (10th in the NBA) and swiped 1.3 steals per game.  Giannis became just the ninth player in NBA history to average at least 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game over the course of a season and did so with the highest shooting percentage [Read more…]

Budenholzer named NBA Coach of the Year

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File Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)

After leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a NBA-best 60 wins, coach Mike Budenholzer was named the league’s Coach of the Year on Monday night.

Budenholzer is the second coach in Bucks history to win the honor, joining Don Nelson.  Nelson won the honor twice in 1982-83 and 1984-85.  Budenholzer also won the honor with the Atlanta Hawks in 2014-15.

In Budenholzer’s first season in Milwaukee, he led the Bucks to a 16-win improvement from the previous season as they owned the best record in the NBA at 60-22.  The Bucks 60 wins were tied for the team’s third-most in franchise history and the most since the 1980-81 season.  As the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks won their first playoff series, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, for the first time since 2001. [Read more…]

Bucks falter down the stretch drop ECF’s to Toronto

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

The Milwaukee Bucks led by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter on Saturday night before falling to the Toronto Raptors 100-94 in game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.  The result gave the Raptors the series win four games to two and the right to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

After going down 15, Toronto answered with a 26-3 run.  The Raptors took their largest lead at 87-79 with 6 minutes, 45 seconds left.

The Bucks bounced back with a 7-0 run but never did quite make it all the way back.

Kawhi Leonard had 27 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Raptors.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks.  Brook Lopez added 18 and Khris [Read more…]

Bucks season is on the brink after game 5 loss

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

The Milwaukee Bucks are facing playoff elimination after losing home court advantage and falling to the Toronto Raptors 105-99 at Fiserv Forum on Thursday night.

The Bucks captured the first two games of the series, but have now dropped three straight for the first time this season.

Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points, hitting the 30 point mark for the fourth time in the series.  Leonard added five three-pointers and had seven rebounds and nine assists.  Fred VanVleet added 21 points, hitting 7 of 9 three-pointers in the Toronto victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points for the Bucks, while Eric Bledsoe added 20.  Guard Malcolm Brogdon returned to the starting lineup and added 18 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bucks led by 10 after the first quarter and as many as 14 in the first half, but maintaining consistency on offense was a problem again.

Khris Middleton struggled offensively, not hitting his first field goal of the game until the first minute of the fourth quarter.  Middleton had missed his first six shots.

The Bucks now head to Toronto for Game 6 of the series, needing a victory to get the series back to Milwaukee for a game seven on Memorial Day.

Antetokounmpo unanimously selected to All-NBA First Team

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Giannis Antetokounmpo – Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images).

Giannis Antetokounmpo was unanimously selected to the All-NBA First Team, marking the first Milwaukee Bucks player to earn First Team honors since Sidney Moncrief following the 1982-83 season.  The Bucks forward is just the fourth player in franchise history to garner All-NBA First Team honors, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Marques Johnson and Moncrief.

In his sixth season, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the best record (60-22) in the NBA and the team’s most wins since the 1980-81 season, while setting new career highs in points (27.7, ranked 3rd in the NBA), rebounds (12.5, ranked 6th in the NBA) and assists (5.9) per game.  He became just the ninth player in NBA history to average at least 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

Antetokounmpo is joined on the All-NBA First Team by James Harden (Houston), Stephen Curry (Golden State), Paul George (Oklahoma City) and Nikola Jokic (Denver).

 

Antetokounmpo & Bledsoe named to NBA All-Defensive First Team

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and guard Eric Bledsoe have both been named to the 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive First Team.  This is the first time since 1990-91 (Alvin Robertson) that the Bucks have had a player selected to the All-Defensive First Team and just the third time in franchise history that Milwaukee has had two players selected to the All-Defensive First Team in the same season.

The Bucks were the top-rated defense in the NBA this season and held opponents to a league-low 43.3 field goal percentage.  Antetokounmpo averaged 1.5 blocks per game, the second highest mark of his career and Bledsoe added 1.5 steals a game.

For Antetokounmpo, this is his first selection to the All-Defensive First Team after being named Second Team All-Defense [Read more…]

Raptors knock off Bucks 118-112 in 2OT (AUDIO)

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The Toronto Raptors showed the basketball world that they have no interest in going quietly when it comes to their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks opened game three with a quick 2-0 lead before the Raptors took over and controlled game three the rest of the way.

Kawhi Leonard poured in 36 points, including eight in the second overtime to lead Toronto to a 118-112 victory, drawing to withing 2-1 in the series with game four on Tuesday night.

Pascal Siakam added 25 points and 11 rebounds and Marc Gasol had 16 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Raptors to the win. [Read more…]

Bucks comeback to capture ECF Game 1 (AUDIO)

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Brook Lopez – Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images).

The Milwaukee Bucks struck the first blow in the Eastern Conference finals, coming from behind to knock off the Toronto Raptors 108-100 in the series opener at Fiserv Forum.

Brook Lopez fueled a 32-17 fourth-quarter rally by the Bucks, scoring 13 of his career playoff best 29 points in the final period.

Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and Malcolm Brogdon scored 15 points off the bench to lead the Bucks.

The Raptors led 83-76 after three quarters and looked like they were about to steal the series opener in Milwaukee, but they went cold in the final quarter.

Kawhi Leonard had 31 points and Kyle Lowry added 30, but Lowry is the only Raptors player that had any [Read more…]

Bucks advance to Eastern Conference Finals (AUDIO)

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Malcolm Brogdon returns for the Bucks Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

After dropping the series opener, the Milwaukee Bucks swept the next four games, including Wednesday nights 116-91 win over the Boston Celtics, winning the series 4-1.

The Bucks improved to 8-1 in the postseason and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001.  That year, they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games.

The Bucks will face the winner of the series between Toronto and Philadelphia in the Conference finals.  Those two teams are playing game six in Philadelphia tonight.  The Raptors lead the 76ers 3-2.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks with 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.  Khris Middleton added 19 points and five other Bucks finished in double figures.

Even Malcolm Brogdon got in on the act, playing for the first time since suffering a foot injury on March [Read more…]

Bucks grab commanding 3-1 series lead (AUDIO)

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George Hill – Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Milwaukee Bucks struggled early and then saw shooters Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton take a third quarter seat on the bench with foul trouble.  But like they’ve done all season, the Bucks bench came to the rescue and outscored Boston 33-23 in the period, on the way to a 113-101 victory over the Celtics.

The win gave the Bucks a 3-1 Eastern Conference semifinal series lead with a chance to wrap it up in five games on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.

With the bench mob on the court, the Bucks rallied to take a 10-point lead and took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned and scored 17 of his game high 39 points in that final period as the Bucks pulled away for the win.  Antetokounmpo also added 16 rebounds to his total. [Read more…]