Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Nikola Mirotic

Bucks falter down the stretch drop ECF’s to Toronto

By

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 face Raptors after long layoff

By

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.

 

Bucks clinch Central Division, hoping to hang on to top spot in the East

By

Golden State’s 112-89 win over Indiana on Thursday night gave the Milwaukee Bucks the 2018-19 NBA Central Division title.  But the Bucks are hoping to lock up the top spot in the Eastern Conference and are limping to the finish line.

The Bucks are dealing with a number of injuries and their lead over Toronto is just two games for the best record in the Eastern Conference with 10 games left to play.  The Bucks to hold the tie-breaker advantage with the Raptors, which means their lead is actually three games.

Injuries have seen the Bucks go 5-5 in their last 10 games.  Seven players, including superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, sat out with injury during Wednesday’s loss at Cleveland. [Read more…]

Short-handed Bucks fall in Cleveland

By

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

Missing nearly half of their roster due to injury, the Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-102 in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

Seven players in all, led by the team’s leading scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the game.  Forward Nikola Mirotic also missed the contest after suffering a left thumb sprain and fracture on Tuesday night in a win over the Lakers.

Cleveland rookie Collin Sexton hit a three-pointer and a layup in the final two minutes to lead the Cavaliers.  He finished with 25 points for the game.

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 26 points and 12 rebounds.  Eric Bledsoe added 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.  Brook Lopez finished with 19, but the Bucks lead over Toronto for the best record in the Eastern Conference is down to two with 10 games left to play.  The Bucks do own the tiebreaker against the Raptors.

The Bucks are off until Friday night when they’re back home to face the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum.

 

Mirotic out 2 to 4 weeks with hand injury

By

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

More injury issues for the Milwaukee Bucks as the regular season winds down.

Forward Nikola Mirotic is the latest casualty for the Bucks after suffering a sprained and fractured left thumb in Tuesday nights win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Fiserv Forum.

The injury is expected to keep Mirotic sidelined for two to four weeks.  The playoffs start in 3 1/2 weeks in mid-April.

Since being acquired by the Bucks on Feb. 7, Mirotic has played in 14 games (three starts) and is averaging 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.9 minutes a game.

Five other Bucks are listed as out for Wednesday nights game in Cleveland.  Malcolm Brogdon (foot), Sterling Brown (right wrist soreness), Donte DiVincenzo (heel bursitis), Pau Gasol (ankle) and George Hill (groin soreness).

Giannis Antetokounmpo is questionable for tonight’s game.  He sat out last night’s win against the Lakers with a right ankle sprain.  Ersan Ilyasova is also probable after missing Tuesday’s game with an illness.

The Bucks can claim its first Central Division title since 2001 with a win tonight.  They start the day three games in front of Toronto for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 11 games left in the regular season.

 

Bucks hold off Lakers without Giannis

By

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

The Milwaukee Bucks played Tuesday night without Giannis Antetokounmpo, but held off the Los Angeles Lakers 115-101 at Fiserv Forum.  It helped that the Lakers played without their star, Lebron James.

Stepping up without Giannis, Khris Middleton led the way with 30 points.  Brook Lopez added a season high 28 and Nikola Mirotic added 23 points as the three front-line starters combined for 81 of the Bucks 115 points.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope poured in 35 for the Lakers.  21 of the 35 came in the second quarter.

The Bucks didn’t play well with the lead in the win.  They went up 23 points in the third quarter, only to see the Lakers go on a 16-0 run at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth. [Read more…]

Bucks overcome slow start to win at New Orleans

By

The Milwaukee Bucks hit just one of their first nine shots in the paint and got nothing from distance as the offense struggled early.  Fortunately, New Orleans hit just 2 of 16 from distance in the opening quarter and 10 of 47 (21.3 percent) for the game.  The result was a 130-113 Bucks victory over the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Tuesday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and Khris Middleton added 23 points to lead the Bucks to their NBA leading 51st victory and a three-game lead over Toronto for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks got their offense rolling in the second half.  Malcolm Brogdon had 13 of his 18 points in the quarter and Khris Middleton had 10 of his 23 as the Bucks put 45 points on the board.  Unfortunately, they didn’t do much on the defensive [Read more…]

Bucks hold off high-flying Kings out west

By

With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton on the bench, the Milwaukee Bucks knocked off the Sacramento Kings 141-140 in overtime on Wednesday night in Sacramento.

The win was the Bucks’ sixth in a row and their ninth straight on the road, pushing them to 47-14 on the season.

Malcolm Brogdon hit a big three late, then he and Nikola Mirotic both hit some key free throws in the closing seconds to hold off the Kings.

Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe had a triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds to lead the charge.  Brogdon added 25 points and Middleton had 21. [Read more…]

Shorthanded Bucks win 8th straight road game

By

Playing without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks opened a five-game road trip with a 117-106 win over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Monday night.

Antetokounmpo was held out because of a sore right knee.  The Bucks were also without guards George Hill and Sterling Brown as well, but Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon led the way with 22 points each.  The effort gave the Bucks their 5th straight win and 8th straight road victory.

Ersan Ilyasova got the start in place of Antetokounmpo and finished with 10 points and six rebounds.  Nikola Mirotic had 13 points against his former team and Pat Connaughton came off the bench with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. [Read more…]

Bucks add key offensive weapon before trade deadline

By

It turns out the deal that sent Thon Maker to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday had more to it.  In the deal, Detroit sent 22-year-old forward Stanley Johnson to the Bucks, but Milwaukee turned out to be just a resting spot for Johnson.  Today, the deal turned into a three team deal with the New Orleans Pelicans a part of the equation as well.

Johnson was sent to New Orleans, along with Bucks center Jason Smith and four second-round picks for 6’10 sharpshooting big man Nikola Mirotic.  The deal couldn’t be finished until today (Thursday) because Smith couldn’t be traded until then by NBA trade rules.

Mirotic will be a free agent at the end of the season, which means this may be his only year in Milwaukee, but it gives the Bucks a player that they can use to make a strong push for a NBA title. [Read more…]