Bucks Zone

Milwaukee Getting Bang for the Bucks at Guard

The team isn't paying much for its active backcourt players
Ethan J. Skolnick|
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are paying Damian Lillard more than $20 million this season to be part of the Portland Trail Blazers. In that context, they need to find inexpensive, productive guards who can still contribute to winning, winning enough before Giannis Antetokounmpo returns, and then winning with him after he does, in a way that convinces him they all have a future together.

Friday night, those guards did their part.

Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas combined for 79 points in 88 minutes, while all shooting better than 64 percent from the field as the Bucks destroyed the New Orleans Pelicans to win their sixth of seven games.

Those three players, between them, are making $10 million this season from Milwaukee: Rollins a G-League find, Porter Jr. acquired in an offseason trade and Thomas signed after the Nets released him. Thomas got his 27 points in just 21 minutes, his second sublime scoring game since his acquisition.

“Now it’s winning time," said Thomas, who was blamed for a lot of losing with the Brooklyn Nets. "That’s what you live for, playing in the NBA. Playing meaningful basketball. That’s what I missed playing for a long time. Meaningful basketball. Winning basketball. I’m just happy to be here.”

The Bucks' two veteran forwards, Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis Jr., were efficient as well, but the guards carrying now is encouraging for whenever Giannis gets back from a calf injury. Giannis will take away some of the shots, for sure, but also a lot of the attention, which could allow more space for Rollins, Porter Jr. and Thomas to operate.

The question will become how Thomas -- who had the lowest plus-minus of the three at +2 in a 21-point win -- will do the other things that help winning, such as passing and defending. Those were issues at times with Brooklyn.

But there is hope for a strong closing stretch, and snaring a spot in the play-in, if Giannis gets the requisite help from this group. The Bucks are now just .5 games behind Charlotte for 10th and 2 games behind Atlanta for 9th. The Hawks lost to the Heat -- 8th place -- on Friday.

And the Bucks play the Bulls and Hawks over the next two weeks. But first a tough matchup with the Toronto Raptors, who will likely put up far more resistance than the Pelicans did.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

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