THIS WEEK IN THE NBA
TOP BUCKS PLAYER
With Giannis Antetokounmpo out on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, Khris Middleton more than picked up the slack. He put up 40 points, including a clutch, go-ahead three-pointer late in regulation and the deciding free throws to seal the 113-107 win in overtime. Over three games this week, Middleton averaged 26.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
BUCKS LOOK AHEAD
Following Saturday's game in Salt Lake City, the Bucks will make a stop in San Francisco before finishing the final two games of the Western Conference road trip. They'll practice in the Bay Area for two days to prepare for Tuesday's 9 p.m. clash with the Sacramento Kings. On Thursday, the Bucks will conclude their season series with the Portland Trail Blazers at 9 p.m. at the Moda Center trying to sweep the Blazers for the second successive season following a memorable 113-110 win in Milwaukee on Oct. 21. The Bucks return home at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Saturday to wrap up their season series with the Kings.
BUCKS QUOTE
Middleton on getting back on the court after the team's Thanksgiving together in Arizona: "Definitely needed to run off some of the food we ate yesterday, but it was a good Thanksgiving to be with your teammates. It's a little bit different than being with family. Our team is like family now."
TOP NBA PLAYER
The Boston Celtics had their 16-game win streak snapped by the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, but Kyrie Irving continued his strong start to the season with another stellar week. The 6-foot-3 point guard averaged 32.5 points over four games this week, shooting 64.8% from the field while making 12 of 20 (60.0%) three-point attempts. He also dished out 4.3 assists and grabbed 1.3 steals per game. His best performance came Monday night in Dallas where he scored 47 points — including 10 in overtime — to lead the Celtics past the Mavericks.
TOP NBA TEAM
Don't look now, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have started to figure things out and are on a tear following their 5-7 start. The Cavaliers have won seven games in a row, extending that streak on Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets thanks in large part to LeBron James posting a triple-double with 27 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists. Earlier in the week, the Cavaliers drubbed the Detroit Pistons, 116-88, and used a 42-point fourth quarter to knock off the Brooklyn Nets, 119-109.
NBA QUOTE
Rookie center Jordan Bell joined the Golden State Warriors via a draft-day trade with the Chicago Bulls in exchange for $3.5 million in cash considerations. On Friday, Bell made his first start against the Bulls and trolled them both during introductions and the game itself, rubbing his fingers together — the gesture for money — during a seven-point, six-block, sixrebound performance in a 143-94 rout. “I wanted to see how cash considerations was playing over there,” Bell said.
NBA RANKINGS
Top 10: 1. Boston Celtics, 2. Golden State Warriors, 3. Houston Rockets, 4. Cleveland Cavaliers, 5. Toronto Raptors, 6. Detroit Pistons, 7. Minnesota Timberwolves, 8. New Orleans Pelicans, 9. San Antonio Spurs, 10. Philadelphia 76ers.
Middle 10: 11. Indiana Pacers, 12. Portland Trail Blazers, 13. Denver Nuggets,
14. Washington Wizards, 15. New York Knicks, 16. Oklahoma City Thunder, 17. Miami Heat, 18. Milwaukee Bucks, 19. Charlotte Hornets, 20. Utah Jazz.
Bottom 10: 21. Los Angeles Lakers, 22. Phoenix Suns, 23. Orlando Magic, 24. Memphis Grizzlies, 25. Los Angeles Clippers, 26. Brooklyn Nets, 27. Sacramento Kings, 28. Dallas Mavericks, 29. Atlanta Hawks, 30. Chicago Bulls.
ONE MAN'S OPINION
Bucks center Thon Maker put up a career-high 16 points on Wednesday thanks in large part to three midrange jumpers that helped put Milwaukee in the position to possibly win in regulation before ultimately going on to win in overtime against the Phoenix Suns.
After the game, Maker confirmed what was obvious both during the game and in recent contests — he's made an extra effort to step in to shoot from inside three-point line. It's something coach Jason Kidd, as well as his teammates, have emphasized to him of late. That strategy, while effective on Wednesday as he made 4 of 6 midrange jumpers and not attempting any three-pointers, is one that drew frustration from those with an eye toward advanced metrics. For his career, Maker is a better on three-pointers than midrange shots in terms of points per possession, so there's an argument to be made that moving in is a less efficient long-term strategy. But there's also an argument to be made regarding small sample sizes and confidence. In his career, Maker's attempted 39 shots that qualify as midrange compared to 106 three-pointers according to NBA.com's stats. That's not many.
His mid-range numbers for this season (8 of 15) are already improved from last season (9 of 24) while his threepoint numbers have dropped off (28 of 74 in 2016-'17 to 10 of 32 this season) and he's especially struggled outside the corners, going 6 of 26 thus far. All those misses aren't helping stretch out opposing defenses as defenders aren't respecting Maker's shot. All those open misses take a toll, especially on a 20-year-old, and based on practice time the consensus in the Bucks locker room is they want to see him take — and make — more midrange shots because they know that's where he's more comfortable. Over time, Maker is going to need to improve his three-point shot and confidently be able to knock down the looks he's getting. That's undeniably the best outcome for him and the Bucks. But for now, if he can build confidence and contribute by actually making his open looks at a high rate — even if they're just inside the arc — it seems like a reasonable strategy to get him going following a slow start to the season.