Bucks’ Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s “Thanalysis” podcast is worth listening to
Forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo launched his own podcast in February and it’s already a good listener for basketball insights and Bucks stories.
Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Bucks are locked in at the top.
Milwaukee clinched the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed by dealing with the Chicago Bulls (105-92) at the Fiserv Forum Wednesday night.
The performance is worth celebrating for the Bucks (58-22), but the joy was somewhat tempered by multiple injuries the team picked up in recent games.
BOX RESULT: Dollars 105, bulls 92
Milwaukee has two more regular-season games — against Memphis on Friday and in Toronto on Sunday — so the team may decide to rest key players ahead of the playoffs.
Bobby Portis had 27 points and 13 rebounds – his second straight double-double – to lead the Bucks. Brook Lopez added 26 points and Jrue Holiday added 20 points and 15 assists.
Khris Middleton exits game with knee pain
Khris Middleton made the first shot of the game for the Bucks, a turn at the baseline but looked a little hobbled as he ran back on defense.
Middleton stayed in the game for most of the first quarter, missing two more tries but checking out with 3:36 left. He went back to the locker room and the Bucks announced that Middleton would not be returning with a right knee pain.
That’s worrying for Bucks fans as Middleton has been thrashed all season. He injured his left knee in last season’s playoffs and missed the start of the season after wrist surgery. Middleton also missed 18 games with right knee pain.
Bucks struggles with other injury issues while Giannis Antetokounmpo sits out
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said ahead of the game that two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo would sit out the game. The Milwaukee star was listed with right knee pain in the injury report. He played 33 minutes Tuesday night in Washington.
Bucks guards Pat Connaughton and Grayson Allen were both out with right ankle sprains.
Both guards were similarly injured when they landed on opponents’ feet. Allen relied on Sunday’s win against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Budenholzer said Tuesday Allen would likely be out until the first round of the playoffs.
Connaughton was injured in the first half against the Wizards on Tuesday night but played a few minutes after the injury.
Bucks pull away in the second half
Despite all the injury problems, the Bucks went up 20-9 in the first quarter. But the Bulls fought back in the second quarter to take a 42-41 lead when Ayo Dosunmu smashed in a middle-distance jumper.
Holiday responded with a three for Milwaukee, but Chicago went into halftime with a 51-49 advantage.
The Bucks didn’t score in the first three minutes of the second half, and Budenholzer called for a timeout after the Bulls took a 61-51 lead after Patrick Beverley sunk a three.
The Bucks fought back to take the lead 63-61 when Holiday drove in to a layup. Portis added a three-pointer to Milwaukee’s next offensive possession.
Milwaukee went into the fourth quarter 79-76 and didn’t let Chicago threaten the rest of the way.
Five numbers
5 Assists for the holiday in the first quarter
10 Players who appeared for the Bucks in the first half
$10,000 Amount won by a Bucks fan after scoring a halffield shot during halftime
6 Three points for Portis to set a season high
3 Straight games with 20 or more points for Lopez
The game of the game is Wesley Matthews’ three-pointer
With so many perimeter players injured, veteran guard Wesley Matthews was forced into duty. He came off the bench with big plays, including a big three-pointer after a steal from Holiday that gave the Bucks a 91-82 with just over seven minutes left.
Video of the game shows Joe Ingles getting a technical foul on Patrick Beverley
Joe Ingles from Milwaukee and Patrick Beverley from Chicago are two of the NBA’s pre-eminent trash talkers. Putting them on the court together will make the sparks fly. That came in the third quarter after Ingles and Beverley agitated each other over multiple possessions. Then Ingles nailed a three-pointer and hit Beverley, hitting the Bucks forward with a technical foul.
Who do the Bucks play next?
Milwaukee plays its final home game of the regular season against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Memphis handed the Bucks one of their worst losses of the season, 142-101, on Dec. 15 at the FedEx Forum.
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