NFL
By: Melo Williams
The Milwaukee Bucks are sizzling hot and surging going 10-3 in their last 13 games dating back to January 11. Overall, the month of January was a great one for the Bucks going 11-5.
We’re going to take a deep dive into the Milwaukee Bucks in January.
DEEP DIVE:
As mentioned above, the Milwaukee Bucks are surging. The Bucks are currently one of the hottest teams in the NBA and one of the most complete teams that most teams don’t want any part of unless it’s the Miami Heat.
Two of the five losses in the last 16 games were back-to-back losses to the Miami Heat who always plays the Bucks well, then one loss apiece to the Wizards on New Year’s Day, Hornets, and the Cavaliers.
The teams with winning records the Bucks beat in the last 13 games are the Heat, Hawks, Clippers, Pelicans, and Nuggets.
During the Bucks’ winning streak, Antetokounmpo is averaging 39.4 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Very MVP-ish.
Quite frankly, Gianni’s numbers in the winning streak are a reflection of his consistent production all season or for the last 5 years for transparency to show how great and dominant the Greek Freak has been.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists.
It was Antetokounmpo’s third triple-double of the season and the 32nd of his career. The 11 assists matched his season high.
He joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only player in Bucks history to have three 50-point games in a season.
“It’s a great compliment to be up there with Kareem,” Antetokounmpo said. “Man, I never thought I was going to score 50 in the NBA when I got drafted. It’s an insane, crazy journey.”
Giannis has scored at least 50 points in three of his last 11 games. He had a career-high 55 points on Jan. 3 in a 123-113 victory over Washington and scored 50 points in 30 minutes defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 135-110.
At this point, Giannis Antetokounmpo is top 5 in the deep MVP race along with Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, and Luka Doncic.
Khris Middleton scored a season-high 24 points (9-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 20 minutes during Saturday’s 123-115 win over the Miami Heat.
The Bucks have been slow and patient with their process of getting Middleton back into the swing of things. Middleton has played 15 to 20 minutes in his seven appearances since his return on Jan. 23 after being out five weeks due to a sore right knee.
Middleton has mostly looked like himself in the last 10 games averaging 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 three-pointers, and 0.9 steals in 17.6 minutes while shooting 48 percent from the field and 95.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Middleton’s start to February has Bucks fans feeling intrigued about what could be, he’s averaging 20 PPG, 7 RPG, and 3 APG.
Middleton will continue playing on restricted time on some level through the All-Star break for precautionary measures, but he’s producing well enough to see that when healthy, Khris will be a force helping carry the Bucks in their quest for the franchise’s third championship.
As usual and expected, in the media Antetokounmpo and Middleton get the majority of the praise for Buck’s success.
However, that’s quite ok with Jrue Holiday who has importantly consistently played at an all-star level. Jrue just continues to show up for work every game and get his job done. Very blue-collar like the state of Wisconsin which is why Holiday is loved and praised by Bucks fans.
For an example of what I mean by Jrue Holiday’s importance to the team he scored 15 points (6-20 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), grabbed 13 rebounds, three assists, and had two steals in 36 minutes in a 124-115 victory over the Hornets.
In the last 10 games, Jrue Holiday averaged 21.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 6.6 APG, and 1.2 SPG, and shooting lights out 48.6% from the field. His season averages are 19.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.1 APG shooting 46.0%.
The rest of the Bucks rotation Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, Joe Ingles, Grayson Allen, and Jevon Carter have all been doing what’s expected of them from their roles which makes this Bucks team complete and a favorite to be playing in the 2023 NBA Finals.
Right now most teams are starting to gel while focusing on making a run for the playoffs.
In the East, Milwaukee has to worry about Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Miami as all teams are currently constructed before the trading deadline. Though Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks the Nets team can be an overlooked team led by Kevin Durant.
The Eastern Conference as a whole will be evaluated after the trade deadline as we have to wait to see if any moves will be made that can strengthen any team. Milwaukee is one of those teams that have been in constant trade talks involving Serge Ibaka, Grayson Allen, George Hill, and other players.
Some of the players on Buck’s radar they may try to acquire before the trade deadline expires are Jae Crowder, Cam Reddish, Josh Hart, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Fred Van Vleet.
With only three days left before the trade deadline, Buck’s front office is actively trying to bolster the roster for the playoffs.
TEAM STATS
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently 36-17, 2nd place in the Eastern Conference trailing the Boston Celtics by one game.
The Bucks are 18th in scoring at 114.3 PPG, 1st in rebounds at 49.0 RPG, and 19th in assists averaging 24.6 APG. They’re holding their opponents to 111.8 ppg which is 6th best in the league. As a team, the Bucks are shooting 46.1% from the field and 35.8% from the three-point line.
Being the Bucks have maintained their winning and dominating ways while facing adversity since the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season, I wouldn’t expect much to change. Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo the Milwaukee Bucks will continue being a force to be reckoned with.
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Add another win after winning last night