On Wednesday night in Cleveland, Milwaukee Bucks didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo. He had a gimpy ankle and needed a few days off. Some wondered if he would play on Sunday considering the Bucks have Houston and Los Angeles this week, two of the hottest teams in the NBA. Giannis gave it a go and made the difference in this basketball game. He finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks. He had himself an afternoon, and it’s fitting to happen on the day that Milwaukee honored Marques Johnson and put his number 8 up in the rafters. Bucks won three of four versus Cleveland this year, and they’ve won five of their last seven games.

Player of the Game: Giannis Anetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks really do look night and day with Giannis on the court or not. If he is playing this team is hard to beat and if he’s not, there’s a .500 squad at very best. Cleveland actually has the bodies to throw at Anteokounmpo and create some trouble yet the Greek Freak handled his business like he does all the time. He had efficient night from the field only missing five shots and three of those happened from beyond the three-point line.

Silver Star: George Hill – This was a welcomed development from the game. Hill had 17 points on seven-of-eight shooting from the field making one three-pointers. Apparently, Mike Budenholzer and him had a conversation about being more aggressive on the court with Malcolm Brogdon being out. Hill took that to heart and delivered his best scoring game as a Bucks player. If he can give the Bucks anywhere from 10 to 20 points down the stretch here, many fans will feel confidence about missing Brogdon.

Positive: Everyone got a piece of the rock – Milwaukee had seven players in double figures last night. That’s always a good sign of strong basketball being played on the court. Giannis, Hill, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez, Tony Snell and Sterling Brown were the seven that scored in double-figures. Bucks are going to be hard to beat no matter what with Antetokounmpo, but when everyone is scoring buckets, look out.

Negative: Tony Snell’s ankle – Bucks cannot seem to go one game without someone getting banged up. Tony Snell hurt his ankle halfway through the game. It appears to be pretty swollen, so, it will not surprise me if the Bucks lose him for the game on Tuesday versus Houston. Hopefully, it is not a serious injury. Snell has been a great part of the Bucks all season.

Highlight of the night: Marques Johnson retirement ceremony in full.

"I just thank the city of Milwaukee for embracing me and loving me. I feel like the prodigal son coming home again." – @olskool888

Full #MilwaukeeGR8 Jersey Retirement Ceremony: pic.twitter.com/m5kLV73IYD

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 24, 2019

Next up: Bucks take on Houston Tuesday night on TNT. The hype around that game will be sufficient with the Rockets trying to get a top four seed in the Western Conference plus all of the talk about who is the MVP. Part of me worries about it for the Bucks as it matters to Houston way more fighting for playoff positioning in the Western Conference.