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Eighty-four points. Fourteen of the 21 three points splashing through the net. Giannis Antetokounmpo with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
A good game for Milwaukee Bucks? More like an incredible half.
All this happened in the first half of Friday night at the Fiserv Forum. The Bucks also did not let go, resulting in a 143-121 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the pre-season final for both teams.
If that's what the dress rehearsal for the Bucks looks like, it's hard to imagine what the actual show will look like when the curtain will rise for the NBA's regular season on Wednesday.
"We have played four games in pre-season and we feel like we are talking about a lot of things in practice and that movie sessions are taking place on the field," said the Bucks coach, Mike Budenholzer. days, anyway, good opportunity to focus on areas in which we need to improve and improve. I think we will all be ready and eager to start the regular season. "
THE SCORE OF THE BOX: Bucks 143, Timberwolves 121
Yes, the Timberwolves were without Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler – and Butler obscenely explained how much the Timberwolves needed him – but it was the kind of boat race that two players did not have to stop.
The Bucks moved the ball and beautifully spaced the floor by scoring 25 of 48 attempts in three points (52.1%), with 11 players hitting at least one pointer in a match where the margin increased to 41.
"Sometimes our offense is our best defense," said Eric Bledsoe, the Bucks leader. "When you keep doing three strokes like that, it's exhausting."
Antetokounmpo was at the center of it all, looking at every part of the MVP candidate he was planning to be. He made his first eight shots, including a pair of three pointers, and completed the scoresheet throughout the first half. Then, in a 30-point match, Antetokounmpo came out of the break at half-time with an even more ferocious attitude, throwing jams of monsters at every opportunity.
Antetokounmpo already had a triple double with 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
While Antetokounmpo was clearly and rightly the star of the evening, the Bucks as a whole were an impressive unit. Everyone participated in the party.
Khris Middleton had 22 points while scoring 5 of 8 points. Bledsoe's backcourt and Malcolm Brogdon of Milwaukee totaled 27 points (5 out of 6 over three), 11 rebounds and nine assists.
The Bucks also got another great performance from Christian Wood, who seemed to be the prohibitive favorite for the team's final place. In a match that Budenholzer had planned to treat as a regular season game to get reps for his players in rotation, Wood was one of 11 players to have played in the first half, notably thanks to the early Brook Lopez.
Budenholzer could have opted for Tyler Zeller in the middle, but instead sent Wood for Thon Maker to miss his third consecutive preseason game due to left knee pain. In 16 minutes of action, Wood scored 19 points on 7 out of 9 shots, including his first five shots, with seven rebounds.
Wood averaged 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in 19.3 minutes in four games, scoring 66.7% (20 of 30) of the field and 3-8 (37.5%) from three points .
"Christian was great this pre-season," said Budenholzer, "I think statistically, it's pretty obvious – I think he scores, bounces, he's played a lot of minutes." For a player who tries to make his way through this league, he has done a lot to establish himself … He seized his chance and took advantage of it. "
Of course, as impressive as Milwaukee's poster was Friday night to finish the pre-season at 3-1, she and this disc no longer weigh. Now the slate is being cleaned up as the Bucks have spent the next four days getting ready for the opening of Wednesday's season in Charlotte.
The results may not be important, but the feeling in the Bucks' locker room also
And every player in the team enters the season with absolute confidence in himself, his team and the Budenholzer system, which has so far amazing results and double-digit wins for the Bucks at each pre-season game in which the Milwaukee runners participated.
"It's big," Bledsoe said of the increased confidence that the team has gained throughout the pre-season. "To see everyone with confidence, Coach Bud does a great job of letting everyone play our game but at the same time, the time in our offense."
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