Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways From Win Over Phoenix Suns

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:43 a.m. ET

Fansided, Reid Mueller/FanSided via Behind the Buck Pass

On the back end of a back-to-back, the Milwaukee Bucks went to Phoenix to get only their second win in their last 12 games.

The Milwaukee Bucks started strong on Saturday night in Phoenix. After the Suns took a quick 6-2 lead, Milwaukee settled in and took control of the quarter. Giannis Antetokounmpo would physically impose himself on his opponents, finishing four dunks with power early on.

Behind great energy, the team had their best quarter in recent memory, taking a 45-25 point lead into the second quarter. They finished with 24 points in the paint.

The Bucks continued their hot shooting, hitting 71 percent of their shots at the seven minute mark in the second. Like many games for the Bucks of late, the lead would not hold, though. The second half of that quarter swung momentum heavily in the direction of Phoenix.

The Bucks headed into halftime up just eight points. The Suns made their run behind some explosive shooting from Devin Booker. He pulled up in transition on back-to-back possessions, right in the face of the Bucks’ defenders.

Milwaukee played with solid energy throughout the first half, and yet the tempo led to a 74-66 game going into the third quarter. Also notably, Giannis finished the half with 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

The third quarter was the most competitive period of the night. The Bucks played with intensity, looking to hold on to their lead. Jabari Parker brought the house down, with a tomahawk dunk on P.J. Tucker to extend the lead to 16.

The team would go into the fourth quarter ahead 101-89. After a grueling run of late, the Bucks were just a quarter away from heading back to Milwaukee without going win-less on their road trip.

They’d open the quarter on an 11-4 run, and never allowed the game to be in jeopardy from there. The Bucks would finish the night in the win column, with a final score of 137-112.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the night’s biggest takeaways.

Feb 4, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) goes up for a layup against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Bucks won 137-112. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis’ Big Night

After an extended number of games where he didn’t play his best ball, on Saturday Giannis played at the All-Star level he’s shown for most of the season thus far. In 34 minutes of action, he posted 30 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks.

Giannis opened the game with more enthusiasm than he’s shown during much of the losing streak. He was flying up and down the floor and making highlight plays on both ends. Whether it was an imposing block or a fastbreak dunk, the Bucks’ star was making big time plays to feed energy into his team.

He did most of his damage from the paint. The Suns just didn’t have a body that was quick enough to keep the Greek Freak out of the paint, or who was strong enough to slow him down once he got there. The 22-year-old shot 12-20 from the field, 0-3 from three, and 6-9 from the line.

Feb 4, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) goes up for a dunk over Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Jabari Parker Impacts

The Bucks win games when Jabari and Giannis both play well within the same game. Jabari did his part in returning to the winning formula.

The third year star was very efficient, scoring 18 points, shooting 7-10 from the field, 0-1 from three, and 4-6 from the line. He picked his moments to attack well, recording two monster highlight dunks, while also rotating the ball well.

The Duke product came up just shy of back-to-back double doubles, recording nine rebounds. He’s been rebounding quite well lately, recording at least seven in the past five games.

Jabari seemed to be in the zone tonight. After both of his big dunks, he ran down the floor mean-mugging with confidence. The Suns aren’t the best team by any means, but it’s great to watch an opposing team have no answer for either of the Bucks stars.

Feb 4, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Mirza Teletovic (35) shoots over Phoenix Suns forward Marquese Chriss (0) during the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Bucks won 137-112. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Mirza Teletovic Back in Phoenix

Jason Kidd loves to give his players the chance to show their old team why they should have kept them in the organization. It doesn’t always go well, but on Saturday night, Mirza showed the upside to this recurring theme under Kidd.

The bench has struggled for weeks now, needing to produce more points. Teletovic made plays on all multiple levels, something a shooter can only do when they bring a little extra intensity to the floor.

He scored using a post move, pump-faked himself into a mid-range jumper or two, and dialed in his fair share of long balls from behind the arc. Mirza scored 19 points while shooting 6-10 from the field, 2-5 from three, and 5-5 from the line.

Teletovic rounded his game out by adding three rebounds and three assists. A very nice showing for the former Phoenix Sun.

Feb 4, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon (13) goes up for a layup against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Monroe and Brogdon in Unison Again

The Malcolm Brogdon and Greg Monroe combination was at it’s best Saturday. Brogdon looked to feed Monroe the ball at every opportunity. If he didn’t have the space to operate, he’d give it right back to his point guard. They did this all night, showing why they are such a dangerous tandem.

Brogdon scored 13 points, shooting 5-8 from the field, 1-1 from three, and 2-3 from the line. He also added five rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and a block, all while turning it over only once. Brogdon played with his normal poise running the offense, hitting his teammates with a pass exactly where they like it and cutting for the ball to get his teammates out of bad situations.

Monroe had an even more efficient night, scoring 13 points on 5-5 shooting. He’d round out his stat sheet with four rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block.

During the team’s best basketball of the season, these two played off one another like this. It took some time for them to regain their chemistry once Brogdon returned to the bench. If they can continue to play at this level, the bench could preform well enough again to take some pressure off the team’s stars.

The Bucks return to action back home on Wednesday at 7pm CT versus the Miami Heat.