The Milwaukee Bucks effectively stood pat at the NBA trade deadline, neither selling off key pieces nor splashing for a win-now contributor. Their only move was sending out Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony for Ousmane Dieng and Nigel Hayes-Davis. They then waived Hayes-Davis.
The day after, however, the Bucks finally completed their first three-game win streak of the season, knocking off the Pacers 105-99 at home. The victory followed pre-deadline wins over Chicago and New Orleans and improved Milwaukee’s record to 21-29 on the season.
At this point, winning doesn’t make much sense, as it will only cost the Bucks better lottery odds for a team that is not within shouting distance of a contender. Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court they are just 15-15. Without him Milwaukee is 6-14.
But, hey, a win is still a win and it was nice to see the Bucks take advantage of a soft stretch in the schedule to build a bit of momentum, however futile, as Giannis nears his return.
Strong showing across the board earns Milwaukee first “streak” of season
Doc Rivers’ squad put up a spirited all-around effort that saw three players reach 20-plus points. Bobby Portis provided 21 off the bench. Kevin Porter Jr. went for 23 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Ryan Rollins added 22, 4, and 4.
Rollins in particular has been red-hot of late. Friday night was his fourth straight game scoring 20 or more, and his sixth time reaching that number in his last seven contests.
After a mid-January slump, he is back to producing at a Most Improve Player clip. Overall, Rollins is averaging 16.9 points, 5.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on 46.6/40.8/75.7 splits.
The win over Indiana also featured a strong performance from the starting frontcourt. Jericho Sims, inserted into the starting five due to Kyle Kuzma’s absence (calf soreness), grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds. Despite scoring just nine points, Myles Turner added 10 boards of his own and led the team with a plus-11 in the box score.
The Bucks next travel to Orlando (26-24) for a two-game road “series” beginning Monday.
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