Despite the Washington Wizards’ basement status in the standings, having the Milwaukee Bucks in town stoked anticipation for the Kyle Kuzma-Khris Middleton reunion with their former teams. With Damian Lillard out to manage his hamstring injury, Bobby Portis suspended, and Giannis Antetokounmpo fouling out in crunch time, Kuzma led the Bucks to a 104-101 victory with a team-high 19 points and 5 assists, plus 8 rebounds.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was a hard fought W undermanned on a back-to-back, earning them a 31-24 record and creeping a half-game within the Pacers for 4th place in the East.
With No Giannis Down the Stretch, Kyle Kuzma Leads Milwaukee Bucks to 2nd Win Post-Break
5.5 point favorites, Milwaukee bounced back from a slow start by winning the second quarter and dominating the third, building a 99-84 lead in the final period.
Things got dicey after that, however, as the offense bogged down and the defense surrendered a 14-1 run. In a perfect bit of cinema, Middleton missed a would-be-game-tying three with three seconds left to spare his ex-teammates from defeat.
Had the Bucks executed their last offensive possession beforehand, it need not have been so close. In a play drawn up for Brook Lopez, Kuzma chucked up a three that allowed Washington secure a rebound and timeout with 5 seconds to go.
“That last play was supposed to go to Brook,” Doc Rivers told reporters postgame, “and Kuz wanted to make the shot. So we’re going to give him hero ball grace period for one day,” Rivers said with a grin.
To Kuzma’s credit, he has been nothing if not a team player in Milwaukee, and Rivers said he owned up to his mistake. “He knew it right away, too. He’s such a good guy to have on our team. He’s a great presence in our locker room. Guys love him. He’s been playing great for us.”
Other Role Players Step Up
Kuzma wasn’t the only one who rose to the occasion. Coming off 22 points and 4 blocks versus the Clippers, Lopez finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 2 swats on Friday night, while making 5 of 8 field goal attempts and getting to the line.
Inserted into the starting lineup, guard Ryan Rollins added 15 points, 4 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals–a season-best stat line.
Kevin Porter Jr matched Rollins with 12, 3, 3, and 3 off the bench. In just 19 minutes, before fouling out with 3:36 left, Giannis supplied 18 points on 6-9 from the floor.
Media members asked Rivers whether he is happy with where the team is at amidst the chaos of injuries, suspension, and trade additions. “I really am. We made a lot of moves right after the deadline, so we’re trying to get guys to grow together. Just take yourself out of it, you know. Give yourself to each other and the team. That’s the key for us.”
Despite the challenges they have faced, the Bucks have fought their way to five wins in seven games, all but the last two without Antetokounmpo. On a pitch count coming back from his calf strain, he has managed only 43 total minutes. The fact that he played at all in the second leg of Milwaukee’s back-to-back is encouraging.
In his first game as a Wizard, Middleton scored 12 points on 4-10 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Seeing his name in the opponent’s box score will take some getting used to for Bucks fans.
Milwaukee returns home Sunday to host the 26-28 Miami Heat.
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