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Bucks cruise past Utah in exhibition home opener

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Giannis Antetokounmpo – File Photo

After not playing many of their regulars on Monday night in Chicago, the Milwaukee Bucks used their starters on Wednesday night and cruised to a 133-99 win over the Utah Jazz at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo took the ball to the rim time after time, getting multiple dunks to finish with 22 points 11 rebounds and four assists in 20+ minutes of playing time.

Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez added 14 points each.  Wes Matthews joined the starters on Wednesday night and finished with eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.

Donte DiVincenzo bounced back from a poor shooting night in Chicago on Monday by scoring 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting.  He added four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Kyle Korver played his first game for the Bucks and took three shots, making all three of his three-pointers for nine points.  Thanasis Antetokounmpo also finished with 9 points and five rebounds.

Bucks starting point guard Eric Bledsoe did leave the game in the second quarter with an oblique strain.  The Bucks are hoping that’s an injury that won’t keep him out long.

The Bucks are 2-0 in exhibition play and will travel to Dallas to face the Mavericks on Friday night.

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…]

Grizzlies hire Bucks assistant Jenkins

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Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach, Taylor Jenkins, has been hired as the next head coach of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.

Jenkins has been on Mike Budenholzer’s staffs in both Milwaukee and Atlanta and becomes the third NBA coach to come off Budenholzer’s staffs.

The 34-year-old Dallas native is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.  He becomes the Grizzlies’ ninth non-interim head coach since they moved to Memphis.

Jenkins becomes the second-youngest current NBA coach, older only than Minnesota’s Ryan Saunders (33).  He replaces J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired after the Grizzlies ended the season with a 33-49 record.

 

Bucks sign GM Horst to contract extension

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Jon Horst

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed General Manager Jon Horst to a multi-year contract extension.

In two seasons under Horst, the Bucks have generated a 104-60 (.634) record, hired Mike Budenholzer as head coach, and put the Bucks in position for long term success.  In the past season alone, the Bucks finished a league best 60-22 (.732), the first 60-win season for the Bucks since the 1980-81 season.  They advanced past the first round of the Playoffs for the first time since 2001.

Horst began his NBA front office career with the Detroit Pistons in 2005 and joined the Bucks basketball staff in 2008 as the team’s Director of Basketball Operations.

“I’m thankful to our ownership group for their continued trust and confidence in me,” Horst said.  “Wes, Marc and Jamie have been resolute in their commitment to building a championship-caliber team, providing the necessary tools and resources, and I look forward to continuing to execute their vision.  I am grateful for the partnership I have with Coach Bud and Peter and want to thank my hard-working staff, especially Milt Newton, for their dedication and support in building a championship-level team.”

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 crushed by Raptors, series tied 2-2

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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.

 

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 face Raptors after long layoff

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

The Milwaukee Bucks open the Eastern Conference finals against the Toronto Raptors tonight at Fiserv Forum.  It’s their first game since knocking out Boston in the conference semifinals last Wednesday.

The Bucks are hoping to be sharper for game one of this series, than they were in game one of the series with Boston.  The Celtics cleaned up in the series opener 120-90 and accounted for the Bucks only playoff loss.  The Bucks are 8-1 in this postseason.

The Bucks will be well rested and healthy heading into the series.  That includes guard Malcolm Brogdon, who returned to the Bucks lineup during the Boston series, scoring 10 points in 17 minutes in the Bucks game 5 win.

But coach Mike Budenholzer plans to stick with Nikola Mirotic in the starting lineup in game one tonight and he’ll bring Brogdon off the bench.

Defensively, the Bucks will have their hands full with Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard.  During the playoffs, Leonard has averaged 31.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals a game in the playoffs.  His post season success includes a buzzer-beating game winner in Game 7 on Sunday against Philadelphia.

Khris Middleton will draw the defensive assignment on Leonard.  The Bucks know they won’t be able to totally stop Leonard, but they’re hoping to make things tough on him.

The Bucks will need to prevent Leonard from living at the free throw line in the series.  He’s knocking down 84.8% of his free throw attempts on the season.

 

Brogdon set to return against Celtics Wednesday night

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Malcolm Brogdon File Photo: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

After being out since March 15 with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot, Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon has been upgraded to probable for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said he expects Brogdon to play, although he’s expected to be kept on a minutes restriction.

Budenholzer will keep Nikola Mirotic in the starting lineup with Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.

Counting playoffs, the Bucks are 15-6 without Brogdon in the lineup.

Brogdon did start 64 regular-season games and averaged a career high 15.6 points while shooting 50.5% overall, 42.6% on three-pointers and he led the league at 92.8% from the free-throw line.