Bucks’ Terry provides lift on the court and off
Jason Terry knows exactly what his role is with the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s simple, really. He needs to be ready to contribute anything, anywhere and at any time.
Sure, you could say that applies to everyone on the team, but not everyone wears as many hats as Terry does.
If you need someone to play sparingly while staying locked in on the game, Terry’s your guy. He’s constantly talking with and mentoring younger players on the bench, try to help them see the game the way he’s learned to during his 19year career while also leading the team’s cheering section one towel wave at a time.
If you need a veteran to help ease a transition -- like Terry did by spending extra time shooting and working with Eric Bledsoe after the trade that brought him to Milwaukee or when he helped set a positive tone in the locker room after his close friend Jason Kidd was relieved of his Bucks coaching duties -- Terry can do that, too.
And if you need the 40-year-old to stabilize things on the court, log a season high in minutes (26) and make multiple key three-pointers in an overtime game against the top team in the Eastern Conference, well, Terry proved that’s all part of the package he offers Friday night in a 122-119 win over the Toronto Raptors.
“He provides a lift in so many plays that people don’t even see,” Bucks coach Joe Prunty said. “Jet, he’s a true professional. Shows up, does his work, stays in shape, stays ready, focused in the game, focused on the bench. Great effort by him tonight.”
Terry’s 14-point performance Friday came largely in relief of starter Tony Snell, whose frustrating February continued in Milwaukee’s first game after the all-star break. In nine February games, Snell is averaging just 3.4 points per game while shooting 22.4% overall and 25.9% from three-point range in 28.1 minutes per game.
Against Toronto, Snell collected two quick fouls in the first quarter before re-entering the game in the second — and immediately picking up a third in just five minutes of action. That foul trouble, along with Khris Middleton carrying a pair of fouls, caused Prunty to ride Terry for more than nine minutes in the second quarter and Terry delivered.
He knocked down his two shots in the period — both three-pointers — and helped the Bucks turn a six-point deficit into a tie game by the time he went to the bench. His teammates took it from there, using a 9-1 run to close the period.
Terry played sparingly in the third before playing a key role early in the fourth. The Raptors had whittled away at Milwaukee’s 12-point thirdquarter lead, pulling as close as four early in the fourth. With just under 8 1/2 minutes left, Terry came up with a steal against C.J. Miles to start a fast break, getting the ball back all alone along the arc. He stepped back, took a breath and fired off a trey, sinking it and immediately going into his trademark jet celebration as Toronto called timeout.
Prunty went back to Snell a few minutes later, but that didn’t last for two minutes. Snell’s offensive funk, along with his inability to contain the dribble on defense, weren’t giving the Bucks the best chance to win in a game where the lead was constantly in flux.
Back went Terry, helping to stabilize the Bucks at crunch time in a game they could have won in regulation but ultimately got pushed to overtime.
“Oh yeah, that’s impressive,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said of Terry’s contributions. “Not only can he impact the game offensively, but he can impact the game defensively. That’s the crazy thing. And he’s 40 years old. 40? 41?”
In overtime, Terry added a teamhigh five points, including a threepointer with a high degree of difficulty in which he fired a corner three from his hip on a ball that was saved from going out of bounds by Antetokounmpo. That shot put Terry at 17 of 43 on three-pointers this season (39.5%), a percentage that is second only to Snell (40.6%) among Bucks players who have appeared in 20 or more games.
From his vantage point on the floor, Middleton called it one of the biggest shots for the Bucks this season. And even though he’s seen Terry’s exploits every day at practice over the past two seasons, he’s still impressed by what Terry contributes.
“Definitely, I mean, but that’s what he does,” Middleton said. “He’s a shooter. He can miss 40 in a row since he’s 40 years old, but he can still knock down that big one or the one that you need. We have all the confidence in the world when he shoots the ball each time and when he steps on the court.”
What’s next for Terry and the Bucks is yet to be seen as they prepare for a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee against the New Orleans Pelicans at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. But if ample past experience tells us anything, Terry will be ready for whatever role he’s asked to play.