The Bucks achieved their 15th consecutive victory the day before after disposing of the Brooklyn Nets with a score of 118-104, in a game that marked the return to the field of their star Giannis Antetokoumpo, after several days injured.
“Anteto” suffered a sprained right wrist before the break for the usual Weekend All Star and on top of that he hurt one of his knees a few days ago, but against the Nets he achieved a double-double (33 points and 15 rebounds) in just 28 game minutes.
But not only the Greek player stood out, as Khris Middleton contributed 18 points coming off the bench, while Jrue Holiday (14) and center Brook Lopez with a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) rounded off the task.
Middleton continues to respond despite the minute restriction (he comes on as a substitute and does not play more than 25 minutes).
In fact, he provides the team with that essential scorer-passer to complement Antetokoumpo’s game, as he assumes creative responsibilities with the ball and allows the Greek to exploit his defining facet much more, where he is practically infallible.
Nor is it mere coincidence that the start of the team’s winning streak coincided exactly with Middleton’s return, after more than a month away, during a 150-130 win over the Pistons.
Since then, the Bucks have not lost and they hardly had tense endings, because of the 15 consecutive victories, 12 came by eight points or more.
Those led by coach Mike Budenholzer have a 17-3 record (wins and losses) on the season when they have had Middleton and 27-14 without him.
The truth is that the Bucks seem to have regained their place as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and perhaps, in the entire NBA, with a record of 44-17 so far, the best in the Eastern Conference.
And when it comes to distinctive players, there is the Serbian Nikola Jokic with his 24 triple-double this season, the last one the day before (14 points-10 assists-11 rebounds) in just 28 minutes, well below his 34 average played this season.
Jokic reached one hundred triple-doubles in his career, sixth of all time, and in this championship he could surpass two of the players who precede him: Jason Kidd (107) and LeBron James (106).
When the Serbian center achieves the double-digit hat-trick, his team wins and last night was not going to be the exception, defeating the Houston Rockets 133-112, although the most significant thing was that coach Michael Malone gave play to the entire bench.
Canadian guard Jamal Murray scored 32 -very good news, as he also comes from an injury that left him without playing days-, while Michael Porter Jr (17), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (13) and Bruce Brown Jr (15) also contributed. , is coming off the bench.
Tuesday results:
— Toronto Raptors 104- Chicago Bulls 98
— Brooklyn Nets 104- Milwaukee Bucks 118
— Atlanta Hawks 116- Washington Wizards 119
— Memphis Grizzlies 121- Los Angeles Lakers 109
— Oklahoma City Thunder 117- Sacramento Kings 123
— Houston Rockets 112- Denver Nuggets 133
— Dallas Mavericks 122- Indiana Pacers 124
— Utah Jazz 94- San Antonio Spurs 102
— Los Angeles Clippers 101- Minnesota Timberwolves
— Golden State Warriors 123- Portland Trail Blazers 105
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