Game starts at 7:30 CT, no national TV coverage. Bucks favored by 2.5 points. Seems like Giannis and Dame are playing.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Bucks lead by 8 at the half. Were down 10 when Giannis and Dame came back in the second quarter with about 7 minutes left.
Bucks lead by 22 going to the 4th. Mavs only score 16 in the third.
22 point lead has dropped to 14 with 4 minutes left. Still in great shape, but need to put this away in the next couple of minutes so Kyrie and Klay don't go off from three and make this close .
Another nice Bucks win, as expected, against a depleted team.
Another win they probably don't get with their pre-trade-deadline team.
Porter Jr., Sims, and Kuzma have made a real difference.
The direct trade was Kuzma for Middleton, but in reality it turned out to be the following.
Kuzma replaced Jackson Jr. in the starting lineup. Kuzma, when he is motivated like he is now, is as good as Jackson Jr. on defense (the fact he can guard 2-5 is an advantage over Jackson Jr., but Jackson Jr. is better on-ball). The fact that teams actually have to guard Kuzma on offense because he can score is a huge difference.
You have to think about the changes on how they affect this year's Bucks' team, not based on past performance. Porter Jr. was the one that really replaced 2025 Middleton (not 2021 Middleton). He's the bench offense and he adds a whole new dimension in terms of quickness and transition offense the Bucks didn't have. He's a good on-ball defender as well. He and Kuzma are never going to be 2021 Middleton, but 2025 Middleton was never going to be either.
Sims is an interesting one now that he's been getting consistent minutes. I love the energy Bobby Portis plays with, but he can't really guard anybody. Sims can guard everybody. If he could walk and chew gum on the offensive end enough to play 25-30 minutes a game, he'd be an All-NBA defensive team candidate. He can switch onto guards and provides elite rim protection. Sims can dunk, and that's about it for his offense, but when he's in there, the bench unit doesn't give up points like it does when Portis is at the 5. If Portis hits shots, the bench unit breaks even, but when he's off, they get run off the floor. When Sims is in, their defense is really good and it takes a lot of pressure off of the other guys to score points to keep up. I'm not sure they aren't better with Sims getting those minutes than Portis, even after Portis comes back.
I agree. I have all the respect for Middleton as a player and person but he was painful to watch in his broke down body (especially on defense).
Porter Jr. has been the key addition I think. He’s basically another starting caliber player on the floor and he does everything pretty well. When he’s on offensively, he can easily give you 15-20 a game and he’s an efficient scorer. He’s also a sneaky good defender.
Sims and Kuzma have played better than expected and that’s the benefit you get when Giannis and Dame are playing the way they are. Sims can just focus on playing defense and Kuzma doesn’t have to try to be “the guy” or even a 3rd option at times. He’s playing like he did earlier in his career in LA - loose, confident, and with a ton of effort.
It’s kind of crazy to think but I’d argue they are a better team now with Porter Jr. Sims and Kuzma compared to having Middleton and Portis getting those minutes. Then you throw in AJ Green and Trent Jr. and this is a pretty good and deep team.
I’m not so sure that Horst wouldn’t have dealt Portis at the deadline had he known how well the additions would play. Having another ball handling 2 way guard would be more valuable than Portis IMO given the current roster construction.
You guys are really interesting. Go back and read page 2 of the Bucks trade deadline thread and see what you had to say after the trade compared to what you are saying now.
If you make enough moves at some point they are bound to work out.
No one will fault Jon Horst or the Bucks for standing pat (memo to the Packers and Brewers) and let’s be honest he’s made more bad moves than good moves since acquiring Jrue Holiday several years ago.
However, right now it looks like Horst pulled off a small miracle especially with Sims and Porter Jr. Kuzma has always had talent and potential, but maybe a change of scenery was exactly what he needed.