Milwaukee Bucks welcomed back Giannis Antetokounmpo to the team on Thursday night. Antetokounmpo did not play his full allotment of minutes, but he was there. The presence is enough to level up Milwaukee. For the first time in a long time, the Bucks had their big three on the court at the same time. It’s been mentioned before, but Milwaukee only has nine losses with those three guys out there. They kept it that way against Atlanta. Milwaukee won 120-109 as they beat up Atlanta yet again. Here are some things to know from this one.

1. Brook Lopez continues his second-half surge – If you’re a Brewers fan, you likely remember Aramis Ramirez. Fans would title June 1st as Aramis Ramirez Day as he always started slow. Lopez seems to be doing his own version of that. Since the All-Star Break, Lopez has been one of the best players on the court. He continued it last night with a 19-12 performance. The 12 rebounds are a season-high for the Bucks’ big man. The night was more impressive considering Clint Capela is having a very good year on the defensive end. Lopez neutralized that.

2. Jrue Holiday put the CLAMPS on Trae Young – Good god, Trae Young is going to see Jrue Holiday in his dreams. What an amazing performance by Holiday on the defensive side of the ball. When Young got matched up with Holiday, he was 2-for-9 and had five turnovers. That is a bad bad sign if you’re a Hawks fan. Bucks and Hawks could meet in the playoffs, and if your best player cannot handle Holiday’s defense, the playoff appearance will be short-lived.

3. Bucks’ bench mob was on one last night – Great night from the Bucks bench. This is the type of game that should make fans feel like this team can go far this summer. Three guys off the bench had double-figures with P.J. Tucker having eight points in his most impactful game as a Buck. Pat Connaughton broke out of his shooting slump, Bobby Portis continued his hot month, and Jeff Teague continues to surprise in the backup point guard role.

NEXT UP:
Milwaukee heads home FINALLY to play the Memphis Grizzlies. This should be a good one. The Grizz are playing really well right now and should have beat Dallas on Wednesday night. Bucks-Grizzlies played a thriller in Memphis. Grizzlies will be on a back-to-back as they play Chicago tonight.

Charlie.