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"He's getting back in shape"- Doc Rivers on Jae Crowder’s best game since returning from injury

Jae Crowder is getting back into a good groove.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

Slowly but surely, Jae Crowder is getting back into a good groove after missing several games due to an adductor injury. This showed when Jae put up a fine performance in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 105-129 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Crowder collected 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a steal in 37 minutes of play. He shot 7-for-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range.

Fit-again Jae

It was Crowder’s 11th game since suffering an injury in a 97-112 loss to the Orlando Magic on November 11th.

Coach Doc Rivers was happy to see Crowder rediscover his old self.

“He’s getting back in shape. That’s the other guy that we forget. We’re playing on minutes, but he just came off an injury,” Rivers said.

Crowder scored 16 of his total output in the first half as he tried to help the short-handed Bucks keep in step with the Wolves. Without Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton, the Bucks faded in the final half to taste their season-high third-straight loss.

Good sign for the Bucks

Crowder played for 40 minutes in two straight games, then logged 37 minutes in the loss to the Wolves. Rivers thought of extending Jae’s minutes but decided not to do so, as the Bucks were playing the front end of a back-to-back.

“I wanted to keep him in, but I didn’t want to push it, but I was thinking about more conditioning, maybe use tonight as a conditioning thing. The fact that we play tomorrow night, that’s why I took him out,” Rivers said.

The loss to Minnesota pulled the Bucks down to 1-5 under Rivers, but with one key player returning to his old effective self, it might just be a matter of time before they start winning again.

The Milwaukee Bucks acquire feisty guard Patrick Beverley at the trade deadline

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.