Michael Dwyer / Associated Press
After a disappointing defeat on their opening night, the Milwaukee Bucks recovered on Christmas Day with a 138-99 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Giannis Antetokounmpo double-doubled, but it was Khris Middleton who starred in Friday’s win with 31 points for Bucks (1-1) at the Fiserv Forum.
Milwaukee built a 10-point lead at halftime and maintained full control in the second half, rising 30 at the start of the fourth period and holding on for an easy win. An attempt of 20 of 37 in the three-point belt was the key to the team’s first victory of the year, as the Warriors simply could not keep up with the score.
Stephen Curry led the way to Golden State (0-2) with 19 points, but was unable to avoid a brutal start to the season:
Consecutive losses in early 2020-21 may lead some to believe that this could be a repeat of last year.
Notable performances
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, MIL: 15 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists
Khris Middleton, SG, MIL: 31 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 6 out of 8 out of 3
Jrue Holiday, PG, MIL: 12 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
Stephen Curry, PG, GS: 19 points, 6 assists, 2 out of 10 out of 3
James Wiseman, C, GS: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
Andrew Wiggins, SF, GS: 12 points, 6 rebounds
Khris Lineup of Middleton Carries Deep Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo he was nothing like himself in the first half with six points, but he settled in the second for another solid effort on the statistics and highlights sheet:
However, Bucks hardly needed the MVP twice in this one, as the rest of the team stepped up when needed.
Khris Middleton was the star with 31 points in an efficient shot of 10 out of 15 when the Bucks pulled away early:
Although sometimes overlooked in this list, the twice All-Star was one of the best players on the court in the first game of the season (27 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists) and returned to appear in this game.
The attack was especially impressive when Middleton regularly created his own looks and was almost impossible to defend.
The remaining rotation also helped with Donte DiVincenzo and Jrue Vacations among those who provide depth of scoring.
Defensively, it was a great effort with the players, especially doing a good job of defending the perimeter. The Warriors were kept with just 34.3 percent of shots, including 10 of 45 in the three-point range.
Although Giannis is the team’s biggest star, it is the defense and depth that have really carried Bucks in recent seasons, and it was the main story in this game.
James Wise man Impresses in the second NBA game
We saw only two games of James Wise man, but the talent is obvious in the second choice of the general draft.
The pivot showed his potential in several ways on Friday, standing out as top scorer and defender:
The performance was enough to impress those watching:
Golden State also used it remarkably in a key role in its second game:
There were certainly growing pains, as Wiseman dealt with problems early on and often struggled to match the veteran talent on the other side of the court.
He still had a strong start to his career, after adding 19 points and six rebounds on Tuesday’s debut.
The rest of the Warriors were much more concerned about this one, especially Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins combining to shoot 7 of 28 from the field, losing all nine shots from three points.
Curry scored 19 points, although he had to work hard for seemingly every shot:
This may mean that the Golden State depends a lot Wise man while the great man continues his debut season.
What is the next?
It will be a quick holiday for both teams, who will be on the road to Sunday’s games. The Warriors will face the Chicago Bulls, while the Bucks will travel to face the New York Knicks.