Milwaukee Bucks are hot again. They head into All-Star Break with a three-game winning streak. They’re 25-30, and one game out of the playoffs. Additionally, they’re playing good basketball. Tonight, the fourth quarter was a near hiccup, but Bucks preserved with a great win as they close out Brooklyn for a 129-125 victory. It helped to have Khris Middleton back who announced his arrival for the rest of the league in the final game before the break.

Player of the Game: Khris Middleton (Bucks) – I’m not sure if Milwaukee wins this game a couple weeks ago. Khris Middleton knows how to close games. He’s great at the free-throw line and knows how to hit big shots down the stretch. He broke out tonight with 20 points, seven assists in 26 minutes. Middleton gets a week off, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the starting lineup versus Utah on Friday night.

(Not) Player of the Game: Matthew Dellavedova (Bucks) – Another struggle night for Delly. He didn’t play well in this one amid the 10 points. Dellavedova earned most of his points from the free throw line, but he missed three from the charity stripe. I have zero idea why he’s played double the minutes that Malcolm Brogdon is but that’s another story for another time.

Player of the Game: Brook Lopez (Nets) – Hell of a game for Lopez who might be traded in the next week. Lopez finished with 35 points and got hot down the stretch with a few key buckets that helped bring Brooklyn closer against Milwaukee. Brooklyn has to trade Lopez in the next week. With the addition of a three-point game to his arsenal, he can be a viable threat for a contending team.

Positive: Bucks are back? – We’re going to talk about this more later in the morning, but it appears the thoughts of doom and gloom with Bucks might be understated. Am I upset about this? Kind of. I still don’t feel better about Jason Kidd, and I’m worried about how Bucks do not have a second star with the unknown of Jabari Parker’s ceiling.

Negative: Free throws, free throws, free throws – Bucks missed 10 free throws and nearly cost them the game. They went 22-for-32 from the line and could have easily won this game by three possessions. If Milwaukee lost this game, I’m not sure what the repercussions would have been.

Next Up: All-Star break is here with All-Star weekend featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo in the All-Star Game. Then comes what Bucks will do at the Trade Deadline and finally, it will be back to basketball on Friday against Utah where Bucks look to extend their winning streak.

Charlie.