MILWAUKEE — The best teams have a knack for making some wins look easy, and notwithstanding a brief second-quarter scamper from the young San Antonio Spurs, it was one of those nights for the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks completed a 130-94 rout of the Spurs at Fiserv Forum thanks to a balanced and team-driven effort. Milwakee’s veteran rotation picked apart San Antonio’s young core, forcing 15 turnovers while holding their opponent to just 38.7% from the field and 23.1% from 3-point land.
It was only a three-quarter night for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with a game-high 31 points and 14 rebounds — a feat he accomplished in just 24 minutes of game-time. Giannis was joined in double-figures by four other Bucks players — Khris Middleton (19), Bobby Portis (19), Joe Ingles (14) and Brook Lopez (11).
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In only his 28th game this season, Middleton managed to improve what’s been one of the best passing stretches of his career. The 31-year-old wing finished with 10 assists, increasing his season average to five of them per game. Furthermore, Middleton logged at least seven assists in five of his last seven games.
“He’s just a great decision-maker. He’s got the size, the vision, and he makes all of the right reads,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Middleton after the game. “When we’re playing [unselfishly] and sharing it and making good decisions and good reads and making threes, that’s when we’re at our best.”
For Ingles, who has appeared just 37 games for the Bucks after eight seasons with the Utah Jazz, playing with such playmakers around him is a dramatic change of pace. A primary playmaker for his teams in years past, Ingles said he would feel “stupid” if he didn’t take this opportunity to join a contender in Milwaukee.
“This is such a good team — a well-built team, obviously well coached,” Ingles said. “I’m just kind of here to do what they want from me. I’m happy to play in whatever role. Some nights I get more shots than others, some nights it’s playmaking, some nights they want me to guard someone, and that’s kind of what we all have to sacrifice when you’re on a team as good and deep as we are.”
This contest also marked a homecoming for power forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili — a 2021 second-round pick by the Bucks. He drew praise from both Budenholzer and the Spurs’ legendary coach, Gregg Popovich, who complimented the 23-year-old’s work ethic, versatility and skill level.
Budenholzer told reporters before the game that letting go of Mamukelashvili was a tough decision made by both parties with his career in mind.
‘Mamu’ moved on from a contender in Milwaukee to a rebuild in San Antonio, where he’s averaging career-best numbers in scoring and rebounding. He finished the contest with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
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