Milwaukee Bucks: Grades From 107-101 Loss To Washington Wizards
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks let another lead slip away as they lost to the Wizards on Sunday.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Bucks | 31 | 26 | 21 | 23 | 101 |
| Wizards | 24 | 25 | 33 | 25 | 107 |
Two days after losing to the New York Knicks at home, the Milwaukee Bucks were handed another loss on Sunday afternoon to the Washington Wizards.
The main story of the game was Giannis Antetokounmpo being a late scratch due to an apparent illness. The fighter that Giannis is likely wanted to play, but he was ruled out by the team doctors shortly before the start of the game.
This provided Bucks fans with a showcase of how the team can play without their superstar to lead them.
Having played well in the first half, Milwaukee started to unravel in the second half, allowing the Wizards to strike back and reclaim the game.
In a game where role players had to step-up and prove their worth, how did we grade the starters, bench, Jason Kidd, and the Washington Wizards?
Time to get down to business.
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Starters
Malcolm Brogdon
G, Milwaukee Bucks
A-Malcolm Brogdon got the start, even with Matthew Dellavedova active again for the game against the Wizards. Pouring in a career high 22 points wasn’t enough for the rookie, as he also had five assists, three steals and a rebound. Without Giannis on the floor, Brogdon needed to take more control of the offense. While most of the time this was solid, he struggled at times to find teammates in their spots. Also, when the Bucks were starting to lose momentum in the game, Malcolm didn’t provide the boost we are so accustomed to him doing. Coming in to a starting role is difficult for rookies, but Brogdon has been handling it well. However, there are going to be some miscues. Aside from that, Brogdon found success getting to the rim, and connected on 2-4 triple attempts. Without Giannis in the game, it was clear that Brogdon is/has been a solid contributor for the Bucks that can still learn how to handle crunch time situations.
Tony Snell
G, Milwaukee Bucks
CThis game was the scheduled night that Tony Snell disappeared. Managing to play 34 minutes while only obtaining seven points is difficult, especially with the focal point of the offense being out. Snell managed to play some good defense as usual, but his offensive skills could have been put to more use when the game was starting to slip away from the Bucks
Jabari Parker
F, Milwaukee Bucks
A+The most exciting aspect about Giannis Antetokounmpo being out was Jabari Parker‘s time to shine in the offensive scheme of the Bucks. Usually sitting in the corner waiting for the ball, Parker was aggressive on offense. The increasingly legitimate three-point threat shot 3-6 from deep en route to his 28 points. Parker also flourished as a distributor, dishing out a season-high seven assists, going along with eight rebounds, two steals, and one block. It’s getting harder and harder to stop Jabari on offense, but he did back off in the fourth quarter while the Wizards were taking control. Overall, great game from Parker.
Mirza Teletovic
F, Milwaukee Bucks
C-Starting in place of Giannis Antetokounmpo is no easy task, and Mirza Teletovic made that evident on Sunday. Early on, Mirza’s defensive shortfalls allowed some easy buckets for the Wizards’ big men, while offensively, Telly also struggled to muster up shots. Playing a lot of minutes did not benefit Teletovic, as he is better suited off the bench to provide short spurts of offensive brilliance. One thing to admire about Telly’s performance was his attempt to posterize a Wizard, which resulted in a turnover, but it was the best turnover the Bucks had Sunday.
John Henson
C, Milwaukee Bucks
DJohn Henson was not very good, to say the least. It is a problem when a team’s starting center only had one rebound and two points. Having Henson as a starter is hurting this team, and it will not get any better until he figures out how to be effective on the floor without contributing offensively. Defensively, Henson also had a rough outing, while not even making an attempt to clean up the offensive glass.Next: Bench
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Bench
Greg Monroe
C, Milwaukee Bucks
A-Greg Monroe is consistently the bench leader for the Bucks. Throughout the entire game, Monroe made his presence felt, notching a 12 and 12 double-double. The Moose continues to force steals that lead to transition scores, and he is doing it better than any center in the league. He gave up some points inside, but Monroe showed flashes of stout defense on the block.
Matthew Dellavedova
G, Milwaukee Bucks
C+After missing the last five games due to injury, Matthew Dellavedova returned for the Bucks against the Wizards, but in a bench role. Reminiscent of his time in Cleveland, Delly played solid defense when he was called to play. However, Outback Jesus could not manage to initiate any offense whatsoever. Much of Dellavedova’s struggles can be attributed to his time missed, which is why he gets a C+ instead of a C.
Jason Terry
G, Milwaukee Bucks
BJason Terry has become one of the best Bucks to watch in a game. His intensity while playing, and when on the bench, is admirable. There were some points during the game where he was out hustling Malcolm Brogdon, which is no knock on Brogdon, but rather an indication of how much fuel is still left in the JET. Terry made his only field-goal attempt of the game (a three-pointer), and knocked down both his free throws.
Michael Beasley
F, Milwaukee Bucks
A+Michael Beasley played amazing on Sunday. The Beas put up 18 points in 16 minutes and was critical in building the Bucks a lead in the game. Unfortunately, Beasley suffered a leg injury during the game and did not return. After that point, the Bucks started to fall apart as a team. Is Michael Beasley the MVP of the Bucks? No, but he did play extremely well before the injury.Next: Jason Kidd
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach
Jason Kidd
Coach, Milwaukee Bucks
B-Without Giannis, this was a hard game to assess, especially for Jason Kidd. After the game, Kidd took all the blame for the loss, citing how bad the coaching was. Letting Washington go on a run to start the second half without any timeout or substitutions was questionable. However, Kidd and the coaching staff had little time to prepare an updated game-plan when they heard that Antetokounmpo would be out. It’s hard to put blame on Kidd when there was no time to throughly assemble a blueprint to stopping the Wizards.Next: Washington Wizards
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Opposition
Washington Wizards
Southeast, 18-18
The Bucks are now 18-18 and will be back in action at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday with a game against the San Antonio Spurs
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