Bucks Buzz Vol. 37: Milwaukee Stuns Spurs

“It would be so like our podcast for Bucks to beat Spurs while we tape.” – Mitch Ross. That’s what exactly happened. What a world to watch Bucks beat San Antonio for the first time since 2008. That’s an actual thing. Bucks seem to find a way to steal a headline once a week, and that’s a great thing. To make things more impressive, Bucks did this without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker weaving his way through foul trouble.
Player of the Game: Michael Beasley (Bucks) – What a game from Beas. He played fantastically in the second half with 20 of his 28 points. San Antonio did not have a good matchup on him. I couldn’t believe I lived in a world where Kawhi Leonard guarded Beasley in the final minutes of the game. He played so good down the stretch even with a few Beasley plays. Curious if this changes Kidd’s strategy down the stretch. Beasley is running very hot.
(Not) Player of the Game: John Henson (Bucks) – Henson continues to struggle in the starting role. I’m not sure what Jason Kidd can do at this point. It’s not like we should expect Henson to score double-digits on a regular basis, but the last 10 of 11 games he’s scored under 10 points. It’s not a good look.
Player of the Game: Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) – The best player on Spurs showed it on Tuesday night with 30 points and seven rebounds. Leonard went 10-for-16 from the field in a truly strong effort. He’s a bad matchup for Bucks with Antetokounmpo sidelined with an illness. If I’m a Spurs fan, I would be pissed that Leonard didn’t put up any shots in the final couple of minutes.
Positive: Non-Human Victory Cigar Thon Maker Minutes! – How about this? Thon Maker played 13 minutes in a meaningful game. He came into the game at the end of the third quarter even. He scored five points and played okay. This is a fun trend to keep an eye on to see if it’s a Giannis being out thing, matchup thing or he’s developing.
Negative: Close Outs on Threes Are Shaky – Man, can we talk about how Bucks got lucky here at the end? Davis Bertans rattled out a three. Danny Green hit a transition three to give San Antonio the lead with about a minute left. And Manu Ginobili had an open three for the win. I said ‘Fuck me’ knowing this ball was headed in then… CLANK. Thank god.
Next Up: Bucks head home for Miami, a team who beat them up pretty good earlier this season. Heat are a different team as they’re working through all sorts of injuries. They’ll wrap up a six-city, 10-day road trip in Milwaukee. If Miami loses tonight, they’ve lost nine of their last 10 games. This is an opportune time for BUcks.
Charlie.