Milwaukee Bucks struggled in the bubble until Game 2 of the playoffs against the Orlando Magic. Then in Game 3, the Bucks truly flexed their muscles. They were up by 20+ points at halftime then went up 34 at one point in the third quarter. Because the Magic are a scrappy, mid-major-like team, they fought back, but when they did Milwaukee pushed the hammer down on them again. Bucks won yesterday afternoon, 121-107. A great game from Giannis, Khris Middleton returned to form and the Bucks bench provided support.

Player of the Game: Giannis Antetokounmpo – What a game from the Greek Freak. He went 12-for-14 from the field with 35 points, eleven rebounds, and seven assists. Giannis could not be stopped in the second quarter. That was truly when we started to see Bucks enforce their will. It is no surprise that Antetokounmpo played a large part in that happening. Another nice thing was Antetokounmpo went 9-for-12 from the line. That’s encouraging to see moving forward.

Honorable Mention: Khris Middleton – The haters could point out that Middleton scored 17 points on 17 shot attempts, but I will not do that. It was great to see Middleton start to find himself a bit in the playoff environment. He looked much more like the Middleton we saw all season. Now, he needs to do it again in Game 4 and 5. That will boost the good vibes around him.

One thing to wonder about: Have the Bucks solved the day game issues? – On Thursday’s ESPN broadcast, Malika Andrews mentioned that ‘Giannis is such a routine guy and playing at these different times can throw him off.’ Giannis appeared to be adjusted finally. That’s a huge thing considering Milwaukee gets going again at 1:30p Orlando time on Monday afternoon. Antetokounmpo didn’t look slow or sluggish. He was ready to go from the tip-off.

Next up: Milwaukee gets ready for Game 4 against Orlando. What I want to see in this one is continued strong play from Middleton. Also interested to see if Orlando pulls the Aaron Gordon lever and he goes for Game 4. I still contend Gordon being on the court helps the Bucks out more.

Charlie.