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Bucks season comes to an end in Orlando (AUDIO)

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Mike Budenholzer File Photo – Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

With all-star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo watching from the bench, the Milwaukee Bucks season came to an end, falling to the Miami Heat 103-94 inside the bubble in Orlando.

The Bucks played some of their best defense of the season, forcing the Heat into 22 turnovers.  But they didn’t have enough offensively to win their second straight and force Miami into a game 6.  Instead, the Heat won the series four games to one and advance to the Eastern Conference finals against either Boston or Toronto.

The Bucks started strong, leading by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and led by nine at the break.  But the Heat outscored Milwaukee 33-18 in the second quarter.

The Bucks fought their way back once again in the third quarter, crawling to within one-point at 57-56 with 9 1/2 minutes left.  Then went 6 1/2 minutes without a field goal.

Khris Middleton, who led the Bucks with 23 points, hit just 3 of his 15 field goal attempts in the second half.  Donte DiVincenzo got the start for the Bucks with Antetokounmpo out of the lineup.  He scored 17 points and came through with another strong defensive showing. [Read more…]

Bucks one win away from second round

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

The Milwaukee Bucks needed a strong fourth quarter from Khris Middleton to pull away and knock off the Orlando Magic 121-106 in game 4 of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series.

Middleton, who had hit just 1 of 9 from the field for three points in the first three quarters, poured in 18 in the fourth quarter to finish with 21 points and 10 rebounds.  The Bucks are hoping that is the end of Middleton’s shooting slump in these playoffs.

Giannis Antetokounp was his normal self, scoring 31 points with 15 rebounds and eight assists.  Wes Matthews also hit 4 of 6 from distance and finished with 12 points.

The Magic stayed close by getting hot from distance.  They hit 18 triples and converted 40% on the night.  Nikola Vucevic had 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to continue his strong play.

The Bucks can wrap up the series with a win in game five on Wednesday.  The winner of the series faces the Miami Heat in round two.

Bucks roll past Indiana

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The Milwaukee Bucks started slow but came around in the second quarter and pulled away in the second half for a 117-89 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists, falling just short of a triple-double.  Wes Matthews led the way with 19 points, while Brook Lopez and George Hill added 17 points each.

The Bucks hit 15 of their 44 three-point attempts and won for the 21st time in their last 22 games.

Domantas Sabonis had 19 points to lead the Pacers.  Doug McDermott came off the bench to score 15 points, but the Pacers saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.

Former Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon struggled and finished with 10 points on five of 19 shooting to go along with 10 assists.

The Bucks return to action on Christmas Day at Philadelphia against the 76ers.

 

Cold second half sees Bucks fall to Celtics

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The Boston Celtics outscored the Milwaukee Bucks by 27 points in the second half and went on to post a 116-105 win in Boston.

Kemba Walker scored a game-high 32 points for the Celtics, who improved to 3-1.  Jayson Tatum added 25 points and Gordon Hayward had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Khris Middleton poured in 26 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 22 points and 14 rebounds as the Bucks dropped to 2-2 on the season.

The Bucks hit 5 of 9 from three-point range in the first half, then went 9 of 36 the rest of the way.  The Bucks managed just 34 points in the paint.

The Bucks remaining starters, Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez and Wes Matthews combined to hit just 6 of 24 from the field.

As concerning as the Bucks cold spell was, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer was even more concerned with his teams defense, or lack there of it in the second half.

The Bucks are off today and face the Magic in Orlando on Friday night.

 

Bucks earn comeback win on opening night in Houston

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Giannis Antetokounmpo – File Photo

The Milwaukee Bucks trailed for most of the game, but a late rally allowed them to pull out a 117-111 win over the Rockets in Houston in their season opener.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ended up fouling out with five-minutes left to play in the game, but Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Ersan Ilyasova and Wesley Matthews came through in the clutch to pull out the win.  Giannis finished with a triple-double, 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

Brook Lopez had 14 points and four rebounds, Ersan Ilyasova had 13 points and 11 rebounds.  The Bucks hit 16 of 46 three pointers.

Russell Westbrook led the Rockets with 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.  James Harden added 19 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds.

The Bucks trailed by as many as 16 points at halftime and didn’t take their first lead until midway through the fourth quarter.

The Bucks return to Milwaukee to play their home opener on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m.) against the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum.

Bledsoe set for Bucks opener in Houston

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Eric Bledsoe File Photo – Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

When Milwaukee Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe left the court on October 9 with an injury, it was feared that he wouldn’t be ready to return for the start of the regular season.

At the time, it was believed that Bledsoe suffered an oblique injury, but instead, it was cracked cartilage in his rib cage.

After going through the majority of practice on Saturday, he followed that with a full practice on Tuesday.  Now Bledsoe has been cleared to play and start the season opener against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

Bledsoe’s return means the Bucks are 100% healthy for the opener as Mike Budenholzer has his entire 15-player roster available.  He’ll start Bledsoe, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and newcomer Wes Matthews.  Matthews takes over at the shooting guard spot after Malcolm Brogdon was traded to the Indiana Pacers in July.

That group hasn’t had a lot of time together in preseason games, but they’ve spent considerable time working together in practice.  We’ll see how well that translates to regular season game action starting Thursday night.

 

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.