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Bucks

Khris Middleton might not have been available for the Eastern Conference finals even if the Milwaukee Bucks had made it that far.
The three-time All-Star missed the Bucks&rsquo; last 10 games after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-46750c79bbe5ebbd7da9e84e81d3ef86">spraining the medial collateral ligament </a> in his left knee in Game 2 of a first-round series with the Chicago Bulls. Middleton sat out Milwaukee&rsquo;s entire second-round series with the Boston Celtics, who beat the Bucks in seven games and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-miami-heat-nba-travel-sports-8108c54a1fcb1c58866b81eb87c05489">open the conference finals Tuesday in Miami.</a>
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I would have been ready for tomorrow,&rdquo; Middleton said Monday. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I would have been ready if it went to Game 7. It was almost a day-by-day thing, just waking up and seeing how I felt, seeing if there&rsquo;s swelling in there, and there&rsquo;s a point where you have to make sure the ligament&rsquo;s completely healed.&rdquo;
Middleton&rsquo;s absence was an unfortunate turn of events for the Bucks, who benefited from injuries to other teams during their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-milwaukee-bucks-phoenix-suns-64e76fe1b9f0851dbcf46ad66d90d6de"> title run last season.</a> The Bucks won a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-7c1e79825d167e686b9c132c0c8634e0">seven-game East semifinal</a> with the Brooklyn Nets after injuries knocked out James Harden for most of the first four games and Kyrie Irving for the last three games.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wi-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-ga-state-wire-milwaukee-bucks-nba-14c850e27838fabcb2129f254d1cf745">The Bucks did lose Giannis Antetokounmpo to a knee injury </a> for two games in the East finals, but he returned <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-basketball-milwaukee-bucks-atlanta-hawks-477d3e4a0a7cf768cf2ab47ce24a5aa7">to become MVP of the NBA Finals.</a>
&ldquo;It just wasn&rsquo;t our time,&rdquo; forward Bobby Portis said. &ldquo;All teams that go through a playoff stretch have luck along the way. We had our luck last year in some series that we went through with teams that went through some injuries.&rdquo;
Boston was missing forward/center Robert Williams the last four games due to a bone bruise in his right knee, but that only underscored the Celtics&rsquo; superior depth.
Williams was replaced in the starting lineup by Grant Williams, who scored a career-high 27 points and tied a Game 7 record Sunday by sinking seven 3-pointers in the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-miami-heat-boston-celtics-nba-travel-7d6fd7328f8ecf8df8dfb59001a9ce22"> Celtics&rsquo; series-clinching 109-81 victory.</a> None of the Bucks&rsquo; role players stepped up in a similar manner.
That forced the Bucks to depend even more on Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday.
Antetokounmpo was the first player to have 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a playoff series. Holiday, who attempted more than 21 shots in a game just twice during the regular season, averaged 22 shots per game in the Celtics series.
&ldquo;If we had Khris, not that I&rsquo;m trying to make excuses, but maybe a different story,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said after Sunday&rsquo;s game. &ldquo;But we gave everything we had. Guys came together. We realize, &lsquo;Hey, we&rsquo;ve got to get better. We&rsquo;ve got to get better as a team. We&rsquo;ve got to want it more. We&rsquo;ve got to work on our games.&rsquo; &ldquo;
They also must improve their playoff 3-point shooting.
Milwaukee ranked fourth in the league in 3-pointers per game (14.1) and fifth in 3-point percentage (36.6%) during the regular season. The Bucks made 38% of their 3-point attempts in their first-round series.
That all changed in the second round as the Celtics made nearly twice as many 3-pointers as the Bucks. Milwaukee went 57 of 204 (27.9%) from beyond the arc while Boston was 110 of 292 (37.6%).
The Bucks&rsquo; challenge is finding the right guys to complement the trio of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday.
Milwaukee&rsquo;s depth took a hit with the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-lifestyle-milwaukee-bucks-houston-cfdf9c93a937a10201923495443db394">offseason departure of P.J. Tucker, </a> now with Miami. The Bucks&rsquo; top offseason addition was Grayson Allen, who played well in the regular season and in a first-round playoff series against Chicago. But after going 3 of 6 on 3-point attempts against Boston in Game 1, Allen went 2 of 18 the next six games.
&ldquo;In Game 1, I got three good open ones and knocked them down,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;It felt like (Games) 2-7, the easy catch-and-shoot, spot-ups were very few and very hard to come by.&rdquo;
At the trade deadline, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-5afdea183f8000fd6c8c972baf968f7c"> the Bucks sent Donte DiVincenzo to Sacramento as part of a four-team deal that brought them Serge Ibaka, </a> who fell out of the rotation by April. Portis and Pat Connaughton have player options for next season and could opt for free agency.
The Bucks still should continue competing for titles as long as their top three guys remain healthy, though age offers cause for concern.
The 27-year-old Antetokounmpo was one of the younger players in the Bucks&rsquo; rotation this season. Holiday turns 32 next month and Middleton turns 31 this summer. Brook Lopez is 34, Wesley Matthews 35 and George Hill 36.
This playoff exit should add motivation.
&ldquo;Hopefully, this moment, instead of thinking that we lost something, we can gain and learn in order for us to put ourselves in position to win another championship,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said.

Khris Middleton might not have been available for the Eastern Conference finals even if the Bucks had made it that far.

Middleton might have remained out even if Bucks had advanced

Progression isn't linear.
Some players enter the league and almost immediately experience superstardom. Just look at what Luka Doncic is doing at just 23 years old, averaging 31.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/luka-doncic-enters-into-next-tier-of-nba-superstars-following-western-conference-semifinals-comeback" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ending the hopes and dreams of a 64-win Phoenix Suns team</a>. For other stars, the maturation process is one that takes time. Take a glance across the aisle at the Miami Heat with Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, who didn't make their first All-Star teams until 25 and 28 years of age, respectively.
Even the way that superstars experience progression differs dramatically from player to player. Steph Curry made his leap by improving as a two-point scorer. Giannis Antetokounmpo found a way to exceed his lofty ceiling by tirelessly building out his body.
That brings us to Jayson Tatum, fresh off vanquishing the aforementioned Finals MVP and the Milwaukee Bucks in what was a thrilling seven-game series. Buttery smooth scoring has long been the calling card of Tatum's game, and he's made alterations to that skill set over the years, eschewing mid-range shots for increased attempts at the rim and a bevy of pull-up three-pointers. But for as great of a scorer as Tatum has been as Boston's lead option, it's a different aspect of his game that has allowed him to ascend to a higher plane in these playoffs.
Jayson Tatum has taken yet another leap as a passer.
Tatum's assist average has increased every single season of his five-year career, and it feels as if it's all coming together this postseason. Through 11 playoff games, Tatum is averaging 6.1 assists per contest, which is not only a career-high but also a massive jump from the 4.4 dimes he averaged a night in the regular season. Five of his 10 highest-assist games have come in the 2022 playoffs, and his 12.5 potential assists &mdash; which measures passes to a player who shoots within one dribble &mdash; and 1.0 secondary assists&nbsp; (a.k.a. hockey assists) per game both register as career-highs.
His performance in Game 7 emblematized just how far he's come as a playmaker. Tatum was by far the best player on the floor, despite having the third-most points (23) in the game behind Antetokounmpo (25) and Grant Williams (27). His growth as a teammate, as a leader and as a player who has learned he can't do it alone shone brightly on the biggest stage. He finished with 8 assists and embraced his role as Boston's floor general.
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Williams will forever be etched into Boston lore thanks to his game-high 27 points on 7 made threes, but that wouldn't have been possible without the selflessness of his MVP-caliber teammate.
Milwaukee has long prioritized protecting the paint at all costs and allowing three-pointers from less-threatening options, and Sunday's Game 7 was no exception. In order to do so, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer matched Brook Lopez with Williams (and later Derrick White) and had Lopez pre-rotate into the painted area even if this meant conceding corner threes.
Initially, coach Bud's strategy appeared to be one of prudence, as Williams missed 5 of his first 7 three-point shots &mdash; 3 of which came off passes from Tatum. A younger Tatum might've looked elsewhere for assistance, or even pulled out his do-it-himself kit. The present-day Tatum, however, was unfazed by Williams' sluggish start. He instead trusted his teammate's work and continued to feed him a diet of pinpoint passes when Lopez shifted over, with his focus on finding the best possible shots &mdash; which just so happened to be open corner three-pointers for a 41% long-range shooter.
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&ldquo;Every shot he took tonight was a great shot. He took 22 shots and easily could have had 30. I feel like he passed up and was hesitant because he missed a couple in a row. And I think regardless, we just say to play the right way, make the right plays," Tatum said.
"If Grant took 10 open shots in a row, that&rsquo;s what we expect. If guys (are) hesitant and pass up open shots, it kind of (ruins) the rhythm that we play off. So we tell everybody, 'When you&rsquo;re open, shoot the ball.'&rdquo;
Tatum did more than just find the open man in the crevices of Milwaukee's defensive scheme; he also flashed his widely diverse and rapidly improving passing portfolio.
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He broke down defenders in isolation and got downhill, only to kick out to open teammates with gorgeous spinning dimes like the one above. One thing to note: Tatum is passing on 38.6% of drives, the highest downhill passing rate of his career.&nbsp;
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He exhibited patience and let the defense come to him, waiting for double-teams to converge only to precisely move the ball to open teammates (See: Clip 1). He also made plays out of the short roll when utilized as a screener (Clip 2). Tatum even fulfilled his connective duties admirably within coordinated ATOs, hurling a gorgeous high-low pass to Jaylen Brown from Boston's HORNS formation for his prettiest dime of the night (Clip 3).
In the 2022 postseason, Tatum has assisted on more than one-fourth of his teammates' buckets (25.2% assist percentage), a career-best for the St. Louis native. After averaging just 1.6 assists per game in his rookie season, he's made what was once his biggest shortcoming a legitimate strength.
Boston's ceiling as a championship contender was always going to be defined by its stars' willingness to share amongst the group. Isolation basketball doomed this ball club in previous postseason runs, and it's the main reason the Celtics have yet to advance to an NBA Finals. Even at the beginning of the season, there were questions about Tatum and Brown's capacity to move the ball and keep Boston's offense fairly democratic. Heck, their teammate, Marcus Smart, questioned the duo's appetite to facilitate after Boston's lethargic 2-5 start to the regular season.
&ldquo;Every team knows we are trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen, and every team is programmed and studies to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody&rsquo;s scouting report is to make those guys try to pass the ball," Smart said on Nov. 2. "They don&rsquo;t want to pass the ball, and that&rsquo;s something that they&rsquo;re going to learn.
"They&rsquo;re still learning and we&rsquo;re proud of the progress they are making, but they are going to have to make another step and find ways to not only create for themselves, but create for others on this team, to open up the court for them later in the game where they don&rsquo;t always have to take those tough shots or take tough matchups when they do get the 1-on-1 and see a trap. Just reading that. It&rsquo;s something that we&rsquo;ve been asking for them to do and they&rsquo;re learning. We just got to continue to help those guys do that and to help our team.&rdquo;
Now, Smart's early-season angst feels like a distant memory. Jayson Tatum has taken the requisite steps as a playmaker, only escalating that growth within the postseason, and his Celtics are beginning to see the results.
Taking down the defending champions was a big test, and Tatum passed with flying colors by, well, passing the dang rock.
A new challenge begins against the Miami Heat's second-ranked playoff defense.
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Matt Brooks raves over Jayson Tatum's career stretch as a passer and breaks down his improved floor vision in the playoffs.

Jayson Tatum is passing with flying colors as his playmaking escalates

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven three-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 three-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Boston will face the top-seeded Miami Heat beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat beat the Celtics in six games in that series at Walt Disney World.
The Celtics trailed early but outscored the Bucks 61-38 in the second half to cruise to the victory. Boston used a whopping 54-point advantage from behind the arc to improve to 25-9 in decisive seventh games.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Boston Celtics made 22 threes against the Milwaukee Bucks, which is the most made threes in a Game 7 in NBA history. The previous record was 20 threes by the Los Angeles Clippers in their Game 7 win against the Dallas Mavericks on June 6, 2021. <a href="https://t.co/eX95eqTJ7S">pic.twitter.com/eX95eqTJ7S</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1525974530325458944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Bucks are now 3-9. They went 4-for-33 (12.1%) from the three-point line. That&rsquo;s the second-worst three-point percentage in a playoff game ever (minimum 30 attempts).
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists. But he was just 3-of-11 in the paint in the second half, including 1-of-6 in the fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday added 21 points and 8 assists. Brook Lopez finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Williams finished 7 for 18 behind the arc as the Celtics finished the comeback after dropping Game 5 at home to fall into a 3-2 hole.
Boston started the second half on an 11-4 run to open a 59-47 lead.
It was 63-53 when Tatum went to the bench after being whistled for his fourth foul. But the Celtics rallied without him, outscoring the Bucks 16-11 the rest of the quarter to take a 79-64 lead to the fourth.
The Bucks led the entire first quarter as Antetokounmpo scored or assisted on 24 of Milwaukee&rsquo;s 26 first-quarter points.
He ended the period with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to help the Bucks grab a 26-20 lead.
Boston began to claw back in the second quarter, drawing a third foul on Bobby Portis at the 8:49 mark. TV cameras showed him tossing his goggles as he went to the bench area. He&rsquo;d been wearing the goggles since suffering a right eye abrasion in Game 2 of Milwaukee&rsquo;s first-round series against the Bulls.
With Portis on the bench, the Celtics took their first lead of the game on a dunk by Al Horford that punctuated a 12-2 run.
Boston led 45-43 in the final minute of the half when Tatum was called for an offensive foul on Grayson Allen &ndash; Tatum&rsquo;s third foul of the game.
Following an unsuccessful challenge by Celtics coach Ime Udoka, the teams exchanged misses. But after Smart&rsquo;s steal near midcourt, Antetokounmpo fouled Smart as he attempted a last-second, three-point heave. Smart connected on each of his three free throws to give Boston the 48-43 halftime lead.
Celtics center Robert Williams III was available to play after missing three-straight games with soreness and a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee, but he didn&rsquo;t play.
TIP-INS
Bucks: There was a pregame moment of silence held for the victims of mass shootings this past week in Milwaukee and Buffalo. &hellip; Khris Middleton missed his 10th straight playoff game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. &hellip; Milwaukee missed their final 11 three-point attempts of the first half.
Celtics: Were 9-of-22 from the 3-point line in the first half. &hellip; Patriots team owner Robert Kraft sat courtside, along with Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and receiver Kendrick Bourne.

Led by huge output from underrated role players, the Boston Celtics eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Grant Williams has 27, Celtics make 22 threes in Game 7 rout of Bucks

For those who don't know, when I am not living the dream as an NBA writer at BasketballNews.com, I moonlight as a law school student at the venerable Michigan State University. (Sidebar: That&rsquo;s also where I got my undergraduate degree. We bleed green for life here, folks).
Over my first year of law school, I like to think I learned a thing or two. However, the bit of information I will rely upon the most as I continue my journey as an analyst is my experience with the argumentative technique of concessions.
Before we continue, a quick vocabulary lesson: The term concessions, as it pertains to argumentative literature, means:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-05-13-at-10-55-08-am_lg.png" alt="" width="562" height="370" />
*Source: SuperSummary.com
This technique is highly prevalent in legal arguments. It&rsquo;s basically the lawyer saying, &ldquo;Yeah, this, this and this may be in the opposition's favor, but my client should win because of this, this and this."
In legal situations, seldomly does one come across a fact pattern that 100% favors their client. There&rsquo;s almost always some small piece that they end up having to heed to their opponent. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean they lose because, in the law, you don&rsquo;t need a bulletproof case to win. You just need to present enough evidence to meet the standard of review necessary for victory in that jurisdiction.&nbsp;
In many ways, the NBA playoffs are like a legal argument. In order to advance, you don&rsquo;t need to best your adversary in every singular component of the game. You just need to beat them four times in a best-of-seven series.&nbsp;
Such conditions open the door to the possibility of concessions. In the NBA, teams are too damn good for one team to completely stymie all their sources of income, so teams need to strategically pick and choose which aspects they will hone in on stopping and what aspects they are willing to concede.&nbsp;
To further paint this illustration in your mind, let&rsquo;s go over some overarching examples of concessions in this year&rsquo;s playoffs.
No Middle For You
After DeMar DeRozan decided it was time to stop playing Mr. Nice Guy and lit the Bucks up for 41 points in Game 2 of the first round, Milwaukee decided it was not going to let him get <a href="https://streamable.com/jnedo4">two feet in the paint</a> anymore.&nbsp;
So, the Bucks chose to turn to <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/ice-f9ea7d7d7d51">ICE pick and roll coverage</a> on ballscreens featuring DeRozan and his co-star teammate, Zach LaVine.&nbsp;
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The hallmark feature of this alignment is that the point-of-attack defender forces the ball-handler to reject the screen and lures them towards the sideline, in the process hindering their quest for the interior.
Defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau is <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/07/29/nba-experts-break-down-strengths-of-knicks-tom-thibodeau/">often credited with popularizing this configuration</a>, but the coverage does come with an inherent fatal flaw.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ll notice in the above plays that the player defending the screener has to sink back into a drop position, which helps protect the interior. But it leaves them vulnerable <a href="https://streamable.com/ac24oq">if the screener decides to pop out for a three-pointer</a>.&nbsp;
The Bucks knew such a shot was a necessary evil in order to execute their gameplan, so they decided to concede this shot to the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explaining-why-we-need-to-appreciate-screening-more">Bulls&rsquo; most prominent screener</a>, Nikola Vucevic.&nbsp;
To his credit, Vucevic has developed into a pretty solid outside shooter over the last couple of years, but this season he regressed to a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/202696/shots-dash">32.6% conversion rate on wide-open attempts</a>.&nbsp;
The Bucks were willing to surrender these open looks to Vucevic over having DeRozan and LaVine knife their way into the paint. They did the &ldquo;Yeah, but&rdquo; thing. Yeah, you&rsquo;re going to get open threes with Vucevic, but your two best players won&rsquo;t be able to collapse our defense with drives to the paint. Ultimately, this argument worked for Milwaukee, as they held the Bulls to a 91.1 offensive rating over the final three games of the series. For reference, the 1964 Boston Celtics posted a 90.9 offensive rating.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve also seen Dallas turn to this <a href="https://streamable.com/o9h6my">defensive philosophy</a> a little more against Phoenix, and it&rsquo;s contributed to their ability to claw their way back into that series.&nbsp;
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Can&rsquo;t Do it Alone
Although the sample size is small, Nikola Jokic experienced a dip in his usual assist rate and an increase in his field-goal attempts from the regular season to the playoffs.
Nikola Jokic Regular Season v. Postseason Stats (Per 100 Possessions)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 47.9111%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">Assists*</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">FGA Attempts*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">Regular Season</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">11.6</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">26.0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">Playoffs</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">8.4</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">30.7</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Source: Basketball Reference
This change is a byproduct of the Warriors' decision to concede Jokic&rsquo;s individual scoring brilliance in order to mitigate the value of his playmaking.
Golden State did this by playing him straight up in most instances and largely avoiding sending a second defender to dig or stunt at the ball until they were certain he had built up the conviction to score.&nbsp;
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This (and Draymond&rsquo;s prodigious defensive abilities) helped the Warriors limit the amount of <a href="https://streamable.com/cln6xv">double team, kickout, swing, swing power play sequences</a> and forced his motley crew supporting cast to create advantages for themselves. Of course, the Nuggets couldn&rsquo;t manage to do this, and the jury reached a 4-to-1 verdict in favor of the Warriors.&nbsp;
Concessions Don&rsquo;t Always Work
There are plenty of times when an opponent miscalculates the depth of their opponent's powers and lets the wrong person burn them.&nbsp;
For instance, the Minnesota Timberwolves opted to <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/show-f1461d61b8">hedge/blitz</a> ballscreens captained by Ja Morant, which means after the low man rotates over, they were conceding the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdILqIRFh0A">weakside corner skip pass</a> (please click this hyperlink, Manu is so cool, man).
In these spots, Coach Taylor Jenkins was wise to make sure that the person waiting in that corner was none other than <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/desmond-bane-and-the-truth-about-the-nba-playoffs">Desmon Bane</a>.&nbsp;
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Bane eviscerated the Timberwolves to the tune of 23.5 points on 67.3% True Shooting, and in the end, many cite his contributions as one of the main reasons Minnesota couldn&rsquo;t pull off the Cinderella upset against Memphis.
In this round, the Grizzlies&rsquo; prerogative over the first three games of the series was to try and limit the Warriors' perimeter opportunities, which led to them getting absolutely throttled in the <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/05/nba-playoffs-how-the-golden-state-warriors-are-beating-the-memphis-grizzlies-at-their-own-game/">points in the paint battle</a>.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, the Bucks&rsquo; decision to concede relatively open catch-and-shoot threes in order to let Brook Lopez and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> protect the paint led to the Celtics torching them from downtown in Game 2 (shooting 46.5% from three). This shooting forced the Bucks to switch from allowing more open catch-and-shoot threes to them forfeiting over more lightly-contested pull-ups (which the Celtics also figured out how to exploit in Game 5, but that&rsquo;s for a different article).&nbsp;
As we continue to project the outcomes of playoff series until we move to Mars (I am shagging back on Earth if that happens), it&rsquo;s important that we stop and ask ourselves a few questions: What is each team willing to concede to the other? What are the consequences that come with these concessions? And, most importantly, can they endure these consequences and put together a strong enough counterargument to warrant progressing to the next round?
Huh. Maybe law school isn&rsquo;t so bad after all.&nbsp;
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A big part of NBA Playoff success is practicing the art of making concessions, which some teams have quite well this postseason.

The NBA Playoffs and the art of concessions

During the first three quarters of Wednesday's Game 5 between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, I had already outlined today's column in my head. The Bucks have boasted some of the worst offensive numbers this postseason, they looked miserable again in Game 5, and, unless something changed, their second-round exit would be a foregone conclusion.&nbsp;
And then, the fourth quarter happened &mdash; or more specifically, the last 10 minutes changed the course of the series and this article.
Milwaukee trailed 93-79 and scored 31 points in 10 minutes &mdash; more than any other full quarter this game &mdash; to stun the TD Garden crowd and break the series tie in a 110-107 thriller. The cumulative 33 points in the fourth quarter is the second-highest total the Bucks have managed in any frame this series.
Jrue Holiday's late-game defensive wizardry became the signature moment of the night, and the Celtics' offensive meltdown drew the ire of its fan base on social media. But the "coming back" part of the comeback, in which Milwaukee altered its offensive narrative, was overshadowed. So let's spolight it.
For some context, the Bucks' offense has been&nbsp;dreadful&nbsp;most of this series. This was the half-court state of affairs entering Game 5:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Milwaukee Bucks are averaging just 84.1 points per 100 possessions in the halfcourt this series, per Cleaning the Glass. That&rsquo;s the lowest of any 2nd round team and is far below any rate posted in the regular season.
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1524044083563487235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Bucks could only generate momentum in transition, where they sprinted all over the Celtics to the tune of 142.3 points per 100 possessions. Several viewers, including Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-103-second-round-check-in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>, lamented the Bucks' tendency to find an offensive advantage and promptly forget to utilize it. And while I don't feel fully confident that they've put such woes behind them, Wednesday night provided a potential blueprint for offensive success.
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The surge begins on this play, where Milwaukee consistently creates advantages with constant movement. You can see that the Celtics have prioritized containing the paint and are shading off of both corners. The Bucks only need one screen to keep the defense in rotation, and no one stops moving after the pass. By the time Holiday attacks Al Horford's closeout, he could pass to any teammate and find an open shooter.
Pat Connaughton has been lights-out in this series, making 48.0% of his 5 three-point attempts per game. He can shoot the ball from a bizarre load point well above his head when he needs to, but he's also explosive enough to attack closeouts and make defenders pay, as he did in the above possession.
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Here's another play where off-ball activity from Wes Matthews results in Connaughton getting a three-pointer from a handoff. Matthews cuts into the paint, and Grant Williams and Horford both prioritize his cut over Connaughton's spacing. They don't communicate on a potential switch, and it leads to a late chase from Williams.&nbsp;
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Exhibit C: Holiday steers toward the painted area and the Celtics collapse off of the corners. This time, it's Matthews reaping the rewards as Holiday hits him for an open three. At this point, you're starting to see the pattern. The Bucks went 6 of 6 from long range in total, but these moments in particular hint at a weakness in the Celtics' defense. When the Bucks found the corners and moved the ball too quickly for Boston to communicate, they found open looks.
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One more clip. This one is a miss, but it's undoubtedly a high-quality shot from Bobby Portis. He gets the open layup because the Bucks have gone completely five-out. Portis ghosts (or slips, depends on your judgement) the screen and cuts right to the basket. It catches Horford off-guard for a split second as he anticipates a switch. Connaughton feeds Portis, and he can then either lay the ball up or make the extra pass to Matthews in the corner.
The Bucks went with two notable lineups to fuel this comeback. First, it was Holiday-Connaughton-Matthews-Allen-Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then, Portis checked in for Allen and that remained the unit for essentially the rest of the game. Brook Lopez did not play in the fourth quarter. George Hill played one minute and 52 seconds. The lineups matched smaller Celtics units and allowed the Bucks to play faster on offense with more driving threats.
Portis particularly proved pivotal. He simply feasted on the glass against the smaller Celtics in that fourth quarter. Milwaukee outnumbered Boston 7 to 1 on the offensive glass in the fourth quarter. Portis grabbed 4 himself &mdash; including the game-swinging missed free throw &mdash; and had more offensive rebounds (7) than the Celtics (5) in all of Game 5.&nbsp;
Collectively, the Bucks seem to have struck some type of gemstone. They'll either continue to have corner opportunities, or they'll force Boston to respect the space, allowing more driving and cutting chances for Antetokounmpo and others. They also capitalized on the toll of communicating in a switch-heavy scheme, and used their size to their advantage. However, Milwaukee isn't running home free.
Holiday remains the ultimate offensive swing player in this series. He came up with some stone-cold shots late in the game that masked another sketchy night where he scored 24 points on 24 attempts. It's been a brutal series on the scoring front.
Holiday has shot just 32.6% from the floor when driving to the basket in the second round, which is extremely poor. He's making 34.5% of his pull-up shot attempts with a 41.4% Effective Field Goal percentage. Holiday is one of 23 players with over 20 total possessions in isolation this postseason, per Synergy; his mark of 0.65 points per possession ranks 20th among those players. He's drawn criticism on some of Milwaukee's gunky plays that end with low-quality pull-up attempts. We'll see what adjustments he makes in Game 6.
The Celtics also missed Robert Williams III for second straight game due to knee soreness, which dramatically changed the equation and allowed the Bucks to play with the small lineup they had. What happens when he returns and adds stability on the glass and as a rim-protector?&nbsp;
Even after last night's victory, Milwaukee still ranks last among second-round teams in passes (232) and potential assists (33) per game. That doesn't have to be a negative, but it does reinforce our eye test that too many possessions have involved rushing into an Antetokounmpo or Holiday drive without utilizing the space on the court.&nbsp;
The battle to force defensive adjustments has been the most captivating aspect of this series to me. Just a week ago, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-theres-a-3point-standoff-between-the-celtics-and-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I wrote</a> about how Boston's shooters are forcing the Bucks into tough decisions. Now, the script has flipped to the other side of the court, and with the series now in elimination mode, the stakes only grow.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Synergy was cooking up some phenomenal information this week. Here's a look at some of the second round's most efficient scorers entering last night's action:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The most efficient offensive players in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a>: <a href="https://t.co/bDTcrD2NSv">pic.twitter.com/bDTcrD2NSv</a>
&mdash; Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) <a href="https://twitter.com/SynergySST/status/1524041599642124289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Here's another one that joins the widespread exploration of shot quality and quantifying playmaking:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
We used Synergy&rsquo;s new Shot Quality metric to find out which NBA players make their teammates&rsquo; shots easier and which make their opponents&rsquo; shots more difficult.<a href="https://t.co/u3JvOM6pJ1">https://t.co/u3JvOM6pJ1</a> <a href="https://t.co/A8bXBZExyX">pic.twitter.com/A8bXBZExyX</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1524774322367201281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>These numbers may have changed slightly after Wednesday night, but let's give Wes Matthews more love, courtesy of our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wes-matthews-twoway-play-deserves-your-attention" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan and his piece on the veteran's two-way versatility.</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Matthews has defended 195 on-ball picks &mdash; the fifth-highest mark of the postseason. He's one of 21 players to defend at least 100 of them. Of those 21 players, only two &mdash; Marcus Smart (119, 0.72 PPP) and Jae Crowder (115, 0.75 PPP) have allowed fewer points per possession on direct plays than Matthews (0.85 PPP).
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The Bucks have struggled on offense in the second round, but Game 5 may hint at a turnaround.

NBA Stats Notebook: What did the Bucks find on offense in Game 5?

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points apiece and led the Boston Celtics&rsquo; fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night that tied their Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.
The two teams have alternated victories in this best-of-seven series, which continues Wednesday with Game 5 in Boston.
Horford scored 16 points and Tatum 12 in the fourth quarter alone to help the Celtics outscore the defending NBA champion Bucks 43-28 in the final period. Horford&rsquo;s 30 points were a career playoff high for the 35-year-old veteran.
Tatum scored eight points and Horford had six during a 14-2 run that put the Celtics ahead for good and gave them a 106-96 advantage with 3:33 left. The Bucks wouldn&rsquo;t cut the margin below six the rest of the way.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and five assists for the Bucks.
Tatum had 13 rebounds and five assists while bouncing back from a poor Game 3, when he had 10 points and shot 4 for 19. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 18 points for the Celtics.
Horford sparked the rally after Boston trailed by 11 late in the third quarter.
The Celtics tied the game when Horford capped a 10-0 run by driving the baseline and dunking while drawing a foul on Antetokounmpo with 9:51 left. Horford, who normally isn&rsquo;t very expressive on the court, celebrated the dunk by screaming and pumping his fists.
As Horford landed after completing his dunk, his left arm hit Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s face, resulting in a technical foul. Jrue Holiday and Horford each sank free throws to make it 81-all.
Horford was just getting started.
After Milwaukee&rsquo;s Brook Lopez scored the game&rsquo;s next four points to put the Bucks back ahead, the Celtics responded with a 7-0 run and broke an 85-all tie on Horford&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 8:08 left.
The Bucks regained the lead 94-92 when Antetokounmpo hit a driving layup and drew a foul on Horford with 6:02. But after Antetokounmpo missed the free throw, Horford started the 14-2 run that put the Celtics in control.
Horford hit a corner 3-pointer to put the Celtics back ahead with 5:40 left and followed that with a conventional three-point play that made it 98-94 with 5:09 remaining. Later in the spurt, Tatum had a conventional three-point play and a 3-point basket on consecutive possessions.&nbsp;
The Celtics were playing without post player Robert Williams because of soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. The Bucks played a seventh straight game without three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka expressed optimism before Tuesday&rsquo;s game that Williams would be available for Game 4. The Bucks haven&rsquo;t given an indication on when Middleton might return.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Grant Williams replaced Robert Williams in the lineup and made his first career playoff start.
Bucks: Grayson Allen remained in the starting lineup after going scoreless in 25 minutes while making his first career playoff start Saturday. Allen scored the game&rsquo;s first basket and finished with seven points. ... The Bucks outrebounded the Celtics 48-38.

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points apiece and led the Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory.

Horford, Tatum help Celtics even series with 116-108 victory

The quirks of scheduling for the NBA playoffs created three-day breaks between games in the Boston-Milwaukee and Memphis-Golden State series.
In this case, the teams don&rsquo;t mind the delays too much. They have used the time off to get healthier and deal with unexpected roster changes.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s beneficial in a lot of ways,&rdquo; Celtics coach Ime Udoka said.
Both series are tied heading into Game 3s on Saturday at Milwaukee and San Francisco. These four teams haven&rsquo;t played since Tuesday.
NBA teams rarely get such long layoffs. For example, the Grizzlies had three off days between games just once during the regular season, aside from the All-Star break.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said he would have preferred to have two days between games rather than three. But he felt players could benefit from having time for a mental break amid a grueling series.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s definitely positives,&rdquo; Bucks center Brook Lopez said. &ldquo;It is helpful to recover. It&rsquo;s helpful because you can watch film, you can go over what the other team&rsquo;s doing, what you&rsquo;re doing, learn a lot of stuff. But we&rsquo;re all definitely itching to play as well. Maybe that&rsquo;s because we lost the last game, but we&rsquo;re definitely ready to get back out there.&rdquo;
The longer break gave players time to heal.
Ukoda said NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart is probable for Saturday after missing Game 2 with a bruised right thigh. Memphis center Steven Adams cleared health and safety protocols and should play Saturday after missing the first two games against the Warriors.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad Steve-O&rsquo;s back,&rdquo; Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson said. &ldquo;He looks great.&rdquo;
Bucks forward Khris Middleton remains out for at least the next two games with a sprained left medial collateral ligament, but the longer this series goes, the more likely he gets to play in this round.
The Grizzlies and Warriors also got accustomed to working without guys who will be missing when the series resumes.
Golden State&rsquo;s Gary Payton II is out indefinitely with a broken left elbow after taking a flagrant foul from Memphis&rsquo; Dillon Brooks, who received a one-game suspension.
&ldquo;Just having some time at home to get some rest in and get some good practices in and really lock in on the game plan is always going to be good for us,&rdquo; Warriors center Kevon Looney said. &ldquo;We have a veteran team and it&rsquo;s given us a chance to make some adjustments and figure out and learn from our last loss.&rdquo;
They like having that extra time, even though it&rsquo;s out of the ordinary.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in the playoffs where we play every other day,&rdquo; Celtics forward Al Horford said. &ldquo;And when that&rsquo;s the case, you&rsquo;re wishing and hoping, &lsquo;Man, I hope we get an extra day.&rsquo; Now in this case, it&rsquo;s a &lsquo;When are we playing again?&rsquo;-type thing. At the end of the day, this is the way it is. The scheduling works out this way. We have to make sure we stay ready no matter what it is.&rdquo;
CELTICS AT BUCKS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Celtics bounced back from a 101-89 loss in Game 1&nbsp;by trouncing the defending champion Bucks 109-86 in Game 2. The Bucks have an 88-44 edge in paint points through the first two games of this series, while the Celtics have outscored Milwaukee 114-45 from 3-point range.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Milwaukee&rsquo;s 3-point shooting. Since going 10 of 20 on 3-point attempts in the first half of Game 1, the Bucks have shot just 5 of 32 from beyond the arc.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Middleton remains unavailable and will miss a sixth straight playoff game. Smart expects to play Saturday. Bucks G George Hill, who hasn't played yet this postseason due to an abdominal strain, is listed as probable.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo. As long as Middleton remains out, Antetokounmpo is going to have to be at his absolute best for the Bucks to win. The two-time MVP is averaging 26 points in this series, but he&rsquo;s shooting 38.5% (20 of 52) from the floor.
GRIZZLIES AT WARRIORS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 8:30 p.m. EDT, ABC.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Grizzlies won 106-101 in Game 2 to tie the series after falling 117-116 in Game 1. Memphis&rsquo; Ja Morant is averaging 40.5 points, 9 assists and 8.5 rebounds through the first two games. The Warriors are shooting just 27.6% (21 of 76) from 3-point range in this series. They went 7 of 38 in Game 2.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Warriors F Jonathan Kuminga. The 6-foot-7 rookie likely will play more with Payton sidelined.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: The Warriors will be missing F Andre Iguodala as well as Payton. Iguodala remains out with a disk injury in his neck that has caused him to miss Golden State&rsquo;s last three playoff games. Adams should return for the Grizzlies after missing three games.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Adams. He was essentially benched in the first round but could have a major role in this series as the Grizzlies try to regain their regular-season form on the glass. Memphis led the NBA in offensive rebounding, total rebounds and second-chance points during the regular season but has been outrebounded by the Warriors in each of the first two games. Adams had an NBA-leading 4.6 offensive rebounds per game this season.
___
AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley and Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.

The quirks of scheduling for the NBA playoffs created three-day breaks between games in Celtics-Bucks and Grizzlies-Warriors.

Long breaks between NBA playoff games give teams time to heal

Ever since Artūras Karni&scaron;ovas and Marc Eversley took over the Bulls&rsquo; front office two years ago, Chicago has been one of the most aggressive teams in the NBA. Their fingerprints are all over this roster, with notable acquisitions such as DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
These moves have translated to on-court success, as the Bulls posted their best winning percentage since the 2014-15 season and ended their four-year playoff drought. This year, Chicago was 46-36 &mdash; more wins than they had in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons combined. (Zach LaVine and Coby White are the only remaining players from that 2019-20 squad).
The Bulls entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference while boasting the NBA's 11th-ranked offense (scoring 111.0 points per 100 possessions) and 23rd-ranked defense (allowing 111.1 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
While this season marked a step in the right direction, the Bulls&rsquo; first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks showed that there&rsquo;s still plenty of work to be done. Despite Milwaukee losing their second-best player, Khris Middleton, to a sprained MCL in Game 2, the Bucks completed a gentleman's sweep against the Bulls. Chicago wasn&rsquo;t at full strength either, with Ball sidelined due to a knee injury and LaVine (COVID-19) and Caruso (concussion) each missing Game 5. Still, the reigning champions were a good litmus test.
Entering the offseason, where does Chicago go from here? Are big changes coming?
RE-SIGNING ZACH LAVINE
Entering this offseason, Chicago&rsquo;s top priority should be re-signing LaVine, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old has emerged as a perennial All-Star, earning a spot on the Eastern Conference squad in each of the last two seasons.&nbsp;
This year, LaVine averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 threes, while reducing his turnovers to 2.6 per game and shooting 47.6% from the field, 38.9% from three and 85.3% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
LaVine will certainly expect a maximum contract from the Bulls, which would <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pay him</a> $212.3 million over five years. The most he could receive from another team is $157.4 million over four years. This is a relatively weak free-agent class, so it seems very likely that LaVine will get a max deal from some team.&nbsp;
The Bulls would be wise to re-sign their star shooting guard, as replacing his production would be difficult, and the team would certainly take a step back if LaVine signed elsewhere.
"I plan to enjoy free agency," LaVine said recently. &ldquo;We're going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and [Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience."
LaVine was asked if the Bulls are the front-runners to sign him, but he wouldn&rsquo;t say.
"You guys have been a really, really soft spot in my heart," LaVine said to the Chicago media. "I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, to not just be viewed one way and be like, 'I'm automatically coming back,' or, 'I'm automatically leaving.'"
In multiple interviews, LaVine has reiterated that he wants to be paid what he feels he deserves.
"I just want my respect. I think that's the main thing," LaVine <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/zach-lavine-prepares-olympic-quarterfinal-bulls-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last August. "I outplayed my contract; I've been very loyal to Chicago, I like Chicago. I just want my respect."
FREE AGENCY
Aside from LaVine, the bulk of Chicago's core is under contract for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;
The Bulls have $103,181,950 in guaranteed salaries on the books for next season, spread across nine players: DeRozan, Vucevic, Lopez, Caruso, White, Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu and Marko Simonovic. Projections set next year&rsquo;s salary cap at $122 million and the luxury tax at $149 million.
Derrick Jones Jr.,Tristan Thompson and Matt Thomas will be unrestricted free agents. Tony Bradley has a player option worth $2,036,318, so he could opt out and test the market as well.
The team will have three restricted free agents (assuming Chicago extends a qualifying offer to each): Troy Brown Jr. ($7,228,448 QO), Tyler Cook ($1,576,305) and Malcolm Hill ($1,576,305).
Last year, the Bulls were very aggressive in free agency, making splashy moves left and right. Given their cap situation, it seems unlikely that Chicago will be able to go star hunting, but they&rsquo;ll likely try to improve their depth and add certain specialists. For example, Chicago could use a rim protector, as they averaged just 4.0 blocks per game (which ranked 27th in the NBA). Can they afford Mitchell Robinson? Could they throw an offer sheet at or sign-and-trade for a restricted free agent like Nic Claxton or Mo Bamba? Can they add a veteran like JaVale McGee or Hassan Whiteside?&nbsp;
In addition to a rim protector, it would make sense to add other defensive reinforcements as well (especially if Jones signs elsewhere). Caruso and Ball give Chicago a strong defensive backcourt, but they need some help if the Bulls want to improve their 23rd-ranked defensive rating (113.2). Some of the top defensive role players who are hitting the market include Bruce Brown, Gary Payton II and PJ Tucker. Lu Dort and Jae'Sean Tate each have a team option, but it seems unlikely that either will be available given their bargain contracts.
The Bulls will look to add a contributor or two using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is worth $10,349,000. Last offseason, that is how Chicago was able to sign Caruso to a four-year, $37 million deal, which ended up being a terrific addition. Other players who signed for the non-taxpayer MLE last offseason include McGee (Phoenix Suns), Tucker (Miami Heat), Reggie Bullock (Dallas Mavericks) and Khem Birch (Toronto Raptors).
It will be interesting to see what the Bulls do in free agency. However, keep in mind that some of Chicago&rsquo;s biggest additions in recent years were acquired through trades.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gobe_lg.jpg" alt="" width="685" height="400" />
TRADES
After watching the Bulls&rsquo; front office trade for Vucevic, DeRozan and Ball, fans are understandably thinking big when it comes to Chicago&rsquo;s trade targets entering the offseason.
Myles Turner has been mentioned as a possible target for the Bulls since he could solve their rim-protection issues, but the window on acquiring Turner may have slammed shut as a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/despite-trade-talks-the-pacers-want-to-keep-myles-turner-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report</a> suggested that the Indiana Pacers are now expected to keep the 26-year-old long-term.
Another dominant shot-blocker who may become available is Rudy Gobert. The Utah Jazz just had another season end in disappointing fashion, and there has already been a <a href="https://twitter.com/realOCsports/status/1521141215411941376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the Jazz will be forced to choose between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. If Utah opts to keep their young shooting guard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Defensive First-Team selection could suddenly be obtainable.
If that happens, the Bulls should at least reach out and start a conversation. Our Evan Sidery recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down potential destinations for Gobert</a> and listed Chicago as the top landing spot. Here&rsquo;s what he wrote:
Imagine the possibilities for Chicago with Gobert patrolling the paint with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso hawking the perimeter. It&rsquo;s the perfect complement to offensive dynamos Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago&rsquo;s new starting lineup of Ball, Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan and Gobert would seemingly have no holes in it from a two-way perspective. I absolutely love this idea for Chicago, and they should be blowing up the Jazz&rsquo;s phone this summer if it seems plausible.
Jazz receive: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Coby White, draft compensation Bulls receive: Rudy Gobert
It remains to be seen if either side would do this, but it&rsquo;s an intriguing idea.
With that said, if the Bulls are committed to Vucevic and don&rsquo;t want to trade for a new big man, HoopsHype&rsquo;s Yossi Gozlan <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">points out</a> that an extension for Vooch could make sense this offseason.
If that happens, perhaps Chicago just looks for a complementary shot-blocker who can play behind Vucevic like one of the free agents we mentioned above or more of a minor trade target such as New York&rsquo;s Nerlens Noel or Minnesota&rsquo;s Jarred Vanderbilt.
It&rsquo;s also worth noting that the Bulls have a $5,000,000 trade exception that expires on July 7, 2022, from their Daniel Theis deal.
DRAFT
The Bulls have the No. 18 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, our senior NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock has Chicago selecting Ohio State forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/ej-liddell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EJ Liddell</a>.&nbsp;
The 6-foot-7, 21-year-old junior is a well-rounded, NBA-ready player who makes sense for a Bulls team that wants to win now. Last season, Liddell averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 threes and 0.6 steals, while shooting 49.0% from the field, 37.4% from three and 76.5% from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;Although he is a bit undersized for the position, the Buckeyes often used Liddell as a 4 or 5 in their lineups,&rdquo; Babcock noted in his scouting breakdown. &ldquo;He is physical and versatile on both ends of the floor, scoring both inside and out. He appears more comfortable in the mid-range and paint, which works well for his college system but raises questions in regards to his translatability to the NBA. Liddell filled up the box score and played with great effort and toughness. He has certainly carved out a spot for himself in the 2022 NBA Draft.&rdquo;
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Other players who are projected to be available in that range are G League Ignite wing <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/marjon-beauchamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MarJon Beauchamp</a>, Baylor forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kendall-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Brown</a>, LSU forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/tari-eason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tari Eason</a>, Notre Dame guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/blake-wesley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Wesley</a>, G League Ignite guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/jaden-hardy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaden Hardy</a>, Serbian forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/nikola-jovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikola Jovic</a> and Tennessee guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kennedy-chandler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennedy Chandler</a>.&nbsp;
If the Bulls aren&rsquo;t interested in any of these prospects, or if Karni&scaron;ovas and Eversley continue to be aggressive on the trade market, Chicago could look to deal the No. 18 pick as part of a win-now move.
It&rsquo;s worth noting that Chicago must forfeit their next-available second-round pick after an NBA investigation revealed that they contacted Ball prior to the start of the NBA&rsquo;s free-agency period. As it stands, the Bulls&rsquo; next-available pick is the team&rsquo;s 2026 second-rounder, but Chicago can&rsquo;t acquire a second-round pick before then because they&rsquo;d have to forfeit it.
***
After a few rough years, the Bulls seem to be back on the right trajectory, and there&rsquo;s no question that this team has the talent to be a perennial playoff squad in the East. Winning 46 games despite trying to get so many new players acclimated is impressive, especially when you factor in the injuries to Ball, Caruso, Williams, etc.
Even if the Bulls bring back largely the same roster, they will benefit from that continuity and improved chemistry. However, given what we&rsquo;ve seen from this front office in recent years, don&rsquo;t be surprised if they look to wheel-and-deal in order to take the roster to the next level.

After winning 46 games and losing in the first round, where will the Bulls go from here? Alex Kennedy previews Chicago's summer.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Chicago Bulls?

Alex Caruso was <a href="https://youtu.be/H7E8OXQI4Ak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">so good as a defender at Texas A&amp;M</a> that he made it to the NBA despite never averaging 10 points per game... as a college guard!
In this day and age, where it&rsquo;s commonplace for Caruso&rsquo;s positional peers to be 20-point-per-game threats on a nightly basis, the 6-foot-5 Aggies alum found the NBA pipeline the long and unsexy way.
We &mdash; the societal we &mdash; haven&rsquo;t figured out how to measure defense through analytics in a way that unquestionably captures one&rsquo;s effectiveness, especially regarding guards. We&rsquo;re in a better place today than when Caruso was in college, but we still struggle to do so. This is why watching basketball is essential. (And sure, the eyes can sometimes lie depending on the beholder too.)
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But when he balled at A&amp;M between 2012 and 2016 as a four-year starter, he was never a go-to offensive option. Caruso was a two-time All-SEC defender and an astute floor general with a suspect hairline (it's coming for us all, man), coach-like leadership and the classic &ldquo;sneaky athleticism&rdquo; tag we bestow on our tall, white homies
Caruso averaged 8.0 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.0 steals during his time at College Station, sporting .455/.340/.685 shooting splits and a Defensive Rating of 93.4 with 8.6 Defensive Win Shares and a 6.1 Defensive Box Plus-Minus.
Offensively, as a senior, Caruso was the fourth option on a Sweet-16-bound Aggies team (once ranked No. 5 in the country), behind future NBA talents like Danuel House Jr., Jalen Jones and Tyler Davis.
(And yet, he helped engineer one of the nuttiest March Madness comebacks you&rsquo;ll ever see.)
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Caruso went undrafted and was one of the 64 college seniors to participate in the 2016 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which also hosted Bryn Forbes, Dorian Finney-Smith and Abdel Nader among others. An entire season passed before Caruso could make his NBA debut in the 2017-18 campaign, and it wasn&rsquo;t until 2019-20 that he established himself as an NBA rotation guy for a full run.
Caruso played 106 G League games between 2016 and 2019, which included All-G-League Second Team and All-G-League Defensive honors.
So, in the Chicago Bulls' 114-110 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2, it served as no surprise that Caruso was instrumental in a much-needed victory. The win evened the series at one game apiece, taking advantage of a night where Khris Middleton sprained his MCL and Bobby Portis left with an eye abrasion (hold your jokes). Even still, the Bucks fought back despite being down double-figures for the bulk of the second half, and, without Caruso, this would be a 2-0 series in favor of Milwaukee.
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The Bulls led 87-80 heading into the fourth, and if you pull up a box score, you&rsquo;ll see that Caruso finished shooting 1 of 3 (all threes) with 2 assists and 2 rebounds in over 10 minutes of play in the final period.
If you look at his 38-minute stat line for the night, Caruso had 9 points, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 boards and 2 blocks, while shooting 3 of 7 from deep (3 of 8 overall). His plus-minus? A game-high plus-16. Like all other metrics, it's an imperfect measurement, but in this instance, it made total sense if you watched.
The dude isn&rsquo;t an All-Star, isn&rsquo;t flashy and doesn&rsquo;t produce gaudy numbers &mdash; which causes people to easily overlook certain players in this age of highlights, fantasy, gambling and "hoooooperzzz!" &mdash; but Caruso is a straight dawg who makes winning plays.
Let&rsquo;s focus on some.
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0:24 &mdash; It's a two-man defense with Patrick Williams against Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo orchestrating a screen-and-roll. Caruso pests Middleton until sending him over for the switch and cuts off the errant pass despite being knocked off balance due to the screen. It&rsquo;s a break and easy two the other way. This is like when, in football, you &mdash; a defensive back &mdash; lose sight of the ball on a go-route and just throw your hands up, so the receiver needs to work extra hard to secure the catch. It doesn&rsquo;t always work, but for Caruso, this time, it did. Activity, activity, activity.
1:17 &mdash; Caruso is matched up with Jrue Holiday at around 16 feet out, near the right wing. Holiday tries to face up, and as he does, he&rsquo;s attempting to read the floor and eye the rim while contemplating his move. Caruso&rsquo;s in the dude&rsquo;s grill the whole time and shoves his right palm as close to Holiday&rsquo;s face as possible without drawing contact, but keeps his left hand active and swipes once Holiday allows an opening for the ball to be stolen. Caruso never stopped being attentive, and wasn&rsquo;t even trying to steal the ball the entire time; he just capitalized on an opening as a smart perimeter defender would.
1:59 &mdash; You just love this. Caruso takes the challenge of a taller, bigger Middleton, who tries to impose his will on an attack. Caruso gets backed down, but &mdash; and this is the key &mdash; is not watching the ball. (I could totally rant right now about how too many players are watching the ball or their opponents eyes on defense, and how it's is an easy way to constantly lose someone due to being easily susceptable to fakes. But I won&rsquo;t get into why keeping your eyes on someone&rsquo;s chest/waste is better. Not today!) Anyway, Caruso perfectly times Middleton&rsquo;s spin and cleanly strips the ball loose. Some coaches might say you&rsquo;re better off swiping up than down to lessen your chances of fouling, but it worked here. He even finished the play once Middleton recovered and forced the pass.
2:31 &mdash; Look at this help block on Brook Lopez. Need I say more?
3:04 &mdash; And finally, we have the game-sealing play. The Bulls are up 114-109 with 10 seconds left, and the Bucks are desperate. Caruso tries to better position himself to outrebound Giannis, but doesn&rsquo;t &mdash; understandably. Still, as Giannis grabs the offensive board, Caruso holds the matchup and immediately tries smothering him. Giannis makes the mistake of pushing his arms/elbows forward, and Caruso drops down to smartly draw the charge, knowing he wouldn&rsquo;t get the block and would risk fouling if he went for the steal. Game over.
Here&rsquo;s a Caruso double-team, for good measure, courtesy of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot's Steve Jones Jr.</a>
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Caruso causing havoc, great timing on the double here. The shift to throwing bodies at not just Giannis but Jrue/Middleton is key. Bucks can&rsquo;t find a rhythm in 1/2 court. <a href="https://t.co/585MRAXZe6">pic.twitter.com/585MRAXZe6</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1517158473368276992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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There&rsquo;s a reason why Los Angeles Laker fans probably miss Caruso horribly right now. Watching him help lead the Bulls in a road win over the defending champs, while their team presumably is doing the same, can't be easy.
You need winning plays in winning time, and Alex Caruso gives you those.
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Bryan Fonseca examines Alex Caruso's huge contribution to the Bulls' Game 2 win in Milwaukee and why it shouldn't surprise us.

Winning plays in winning time: This is who Alex Caruso has always been

DeMar DeRozan scored a career playoff-high 41 points and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110 on Wednesday night in Game 2 to tie their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Nikola Vucevic added 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Zach LaVine had 20 points as the Bulls beat the Bucks for just the second time in their last 19 meetings. The series now heads to Chicago for Game 3 on Friday.
The question facing the defending champion Bucks is whether they&rsquo;ll be close to full strength when the series resumes. Bobby Portis left Wednesday&rsquo;s game with a right eye abrasion after the first quarter and Khris Middleton exited with a sore left knee after slipping midway through the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, putting him one assist from his second career playoff triple-double. Antetokounmpo increased his career postseason point total to 1,715 to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,692) for the most in Bucks history.
Brook Lopez had 25 points for the Bucks. Middleton scored 18 and Jrue Holiday 15.
DeRozan scored eight points during a 13-0 run that began late in the third quarter and gave the Bulls a 96-80 lead with 9:47 remaining. The Bulls still led by 15 before Milwaukee rallied in the final 7 &frac12; minutes.
Lopez converted a three-point play to cut Chicago&rsquo;s lead to 112-109 with 56 seconds left. But after Alex Caruso and Vucevic got offensive rebounds on the Bulls&rsquo; ensuing possession, DeRozan&rsquo;s driving layup made it 114-109 with 18.2 seconds remaining.
After facing an early 16-point deficit in Game 1, the Bulls started much faster this time.
The Bucks committed three turnovers in the game&rsquo;s first 49 seconds and four in the first two minutes as the Bulls built an early 9-0 lead. The Bulls were ahead 29-28 at the end of a first quarter that featured six lead changes.
Chicago maintained a narrow lead before closing the second quarter on a 15-4 run to extend the margin to 65-49.
The Bulls extended the lead to 18 early in the third quarter, before the Bucks rallied with a small lineup featuring Antetokounmpo, Middleton and reserve guards Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton and Jevon Carter.
Antetokounmpo led the way as the Bucks went on a 15-2 run to cut the Bulls&rsquo; lead to three late in the third period. But the Bulls responded with 13 straight points and stayed in front the reset of the way.
TIP-INS
Bulls: After shooting a season-low 32.3% and going 7 of 37 from 3-point range in a 93-86 Game 1 loss, the Bulls shot 49.4% and went 12 of 25 from beyond the arc Wednesday. DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic shot a combined 21 of 71 overall and 4 of 22 from 3-point range in Game 1. They were a combined 33 of 62 overall and 7 of 14 on 3-point attempts in Game 2. ... Caruso had 10 assists to go along with nine points. ... Patrick Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Bucks: George Hill missed a third straight game with an abdominal strain. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before Game 2 that Hill isn&rsquo;t expected back I the short term and that the team will monitor how the 35-year-old Hill guard progresses over the next &ldquo;handful of days or more,&rdquo; ... The Bucks had 15 turnovers to increase their season total to 36.

DeMar DeRozan's 41 points fueled the Chicago Bulls to a win in Game 2 of its series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

DeRozan scores 41 points as Bulls beat Bucks 114-110 to tie series

On Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota Timberwolves stunned the Memphis Grizzlies 130-117 at FedExForum to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round, best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.
The Timberwolves made it clear to the Grizzlies that they wouldn't be taking this series lightly.
After having a week off, Memphis was rusty and lacked energy to start. The Wolves exploited the rust, had more energy, gained momentum and snatched home-court advantage from a team that protected its home floor (30-11) in the regular season.&nbsp;
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane said it best after the loss: "The game is going to be decided on 50-50 balls. Physicality is something that we felt like we addressed coming into the series... We&rsquo;re going to have to get grimy out there to win a playoff series."
The Grizzlies have had a habit of getting the better of opponents. In the regular season, Memphis defeated opponents a record 14 times by 25 points or more, and had been used to demoralizing teams early.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies on Saturday, the plan backfired and the Wolves were up for the challenge.
"This game and this series is going to be decided on 50-50 balls and rebounding,&rdquo; Memphis wing Dillon Brooks said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the real grit-and-grind sh*t. So we have to figure out how to be in the right spots, and play with the physicality they played with."
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KEYS TO A BOUNCE-BACK GRIZZLIES VICTORY
DEFENSE HAS TO BE BETTER 
One of the top defenses in the league gave up 130 points. The Grizzlies became the first team since 1973-74 to lead the NBA in rebounding, steals and blocks as a result of their tenacious defense during the regular season.&nbsp;
What we saw in Game 1 wasn't the same Memphis defense that had been shutting down dynamic offenses since early December.
Return to the basics: Rebounding, steals and second-chance points are their bread and butter.
Minnesota outrebounded the Grizzlies by a total of 46 to 35. The Wolves also had the second-chance edge at 19 to 14. Minnesota was well prepared and beat the Grizzlies at their own game.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies also gave up 16 three-pointers while only connecting on 7 of their own.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They hit 16 threes. That&rsquo;s what they do,&rdquo; Brooks said. &ldquo;We got to fly out to shooters, know exactly what shooters are out there... We gotta be on that next game and bring our mentality, bring our swag into the arena. Put our hard cap on and get ready to go out there and bang with the big fellas.&rdquo;
Try to contain Anthony Edwards as much as possible with Brooks at the primary defender.
He spent most of the game locking down D'Angelo Russell, who was limited to 2 of 11 from the field. According to NBA.com matchup data, Edwards went 3 of 7 when Brooks was the primary defender on Saturday.&nbsp;
KEEP STEVEN ADAMS AWAY FROM KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS AND ANTHONY EDWARDS
Game 1 was Adams' worst contest since he's been with the team. He finished with 0 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists while getting cooked on both ends of the floor in his 24 minutes of play. Adams led the league in offensive rebounds at 4.6 per game, which usually equates to second-chance points for the Grizzlies. KAT went 6 of 8 when guarded by Adams, while Edwards lit the big man up on 4 of 5 shots.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies had better success defensively when Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke were on the floor together. The pairing had a Defensive Rating of 68.2 in its 10 minutes on the floor, and Memphis was able to make the game close when the two played together.
But will it be right to limit Adams' minutes? That's something Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and his staff have to figure out.&nbsp;
JAREN JACKSON JR. SHOULD FORGET "SH*TTY" PERFORMANCE 
On 4 of 13 shooting, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 12 points, had 7 blocks and grabbed 4 rebounds. Due to foul trouble, he played only 24 minutes. As a result of three costly fouls, he was limited to just eight minutes in the first half.
Jackson knows he has to do better. On Monday, he summed up his performance with harsh honesty.
"I was pretty shitty overall," Jackson said after practice. "I gotta be better &ndash; seven blocks don&rsquo;t mean nothing if we lose and they put up 130."
Jackson also lost his composure and picked up a technical foul after shoving Jaden McDaniels.
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Karl Anthony Towns dunked on Jaren Jackson Jr so hard, JJJ pushed a different player that didn't dunk on him 😂😂😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/4Gcf3NmgQe">pic.twitter.com/4Gcf3NmgQe</a>
&mdash; Rob Lopez (@r0bato) <a href="https://twitter.com/r0bato/status/1515444740447166475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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He can&rsquo;t be baited into doing things out of character.&nbsp;Because of his proclivity for drawing fouls, JJJ expects the Wolves to make an effort to remove him from the game.
"That team takes a lot of charges, kind of like Boston" Jackson reiterated. "You've just got to move around them, Euro (step), make better moves. Can't fall into their traps because that's a good play by them."&nbsp;
It will be a first-round exit if the 22-year-old forward is in constant foul trouble and not producing on the offensive end. He has to be available, period.
According to a report from The Commercial Appeal&rsquo;s Damichael Cole, Jackson texted Ja Morant after Saturday&rsquo;s loss: "I got you."&nbsp;
Jackson says he will be ready.&nbsp;
LOOSEN THE ROTATION 
Jenkins needs to go with some of the scrappy guys who contributed all season off the bench. One such guy is John Konchar, also known as Jitty. Known for his hustle plays, he is somebody who gets all the 50/50 balls, deflections and is able to defend. Konchar would bring a spark off the Grizzlies bench that was lacking in Game 1.
The undrafted guard out of Purdue Fort Wayne was a problem for the Wolves on Jan. 13, when he gave Memphis a huge lift off the bench with 15 points (6 of 7 from the field, 3 of 4 from three) and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds.
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It might be wise for Jenkins to have Konchar on the floor at some point during Game 2.&nbsp;
De'Anthony Melton, frequently called "Mr. Do Something," must do something to help his team win games. In just 14 minutes of play, the Grizzlies main disruptor had a less-than-memorable night with just 2 points along with a rebound, assist and steal each. Since the All-Star break, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-to-make-of-deanthony-meltons-recent-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Melton has averaged nearly 13 points per game and 42.9% from beyond the arc</a>.
Melton also can guard multiple positions, infiltrate passing lanes and block shots. He averaged 4.5 deflections and 2.3 steals per 36 minutes in the regular season.
HAVE THE OFFENSE CLICKING
Their <a href="https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-commercial-appeal/20220416/281767042767616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mantra</a> is "everybody eats." The Grizzlies were 18-1 this season when they had 30 or more assists. In the series opener, the Wolves assisted on 32 shots while Memphis only had 25. In the regular season, the Grizzlies set a mark of 41 assists twice.
Jenkins pointed out the struggles they had on offense.
"I felt like we missed plenty of opportunities to make the early pass... We&rsquo;ve got to have better balance," he said. "We scored great in the paint. We got to the free-throw line. It&rsquo;s going to be hard if we&rsquo;re giving up 16 made threes and we&rsquo;re only making seven. So, we&rsquo;ve definitely got to find a way to get more balance on the offensive end.&rdquo;
With that, Morant put the responsibility on himself for not finding his teammates for more three-pointers.
"I feel like that&rsquo;s on me though. Our offense was fine. The shots we missed were pretty much wide open threes, normally shots we make, and that&rsquo;s the difference maker of the game," the All-Star guard said.
"They made 16. We only made seven. My job is to... I&rsquo;m about to look at film and find ways for us to get those easier shots. And, that&rsquo;s pretty much my downhill attack, drawing the help and kicking out to my shooters.&rdquo;
Memphis becomes extremely difficult to beat when the team is able to distribute the ball effectively, create open looks and limit its offensive mistakes.
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To win Game 2, the Grizzlies should concentrate on the strengths that helped them win 56 games. It's do-or-die time, and they can't afford to go down 2-0. They've got to embrace the moment and play every possession as if it's their last when every loose ball provides an opportunity to get more chances.
With all that said, the Grizzlies remain resilient.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s a very long series. It&rsquo;s going to be a really long run here," Brooks said. "It&rsquo;s just about watching film as a team, getting back together, seeing what we&rsquo;ve got to do in the next game from here on out in this series. That&rsquo;s something that we&rsquo;ve done great the whole year.
"I think that we&rsquo;re going to be fine from here on out. We&rsquo;ve just got to watch some film together and learn from it."&nbsp;
The growl towel for Game 2 says "Ain't No Running in the M," a phrase made popular by Morant after a victory against the New York Knicks in early February. The Grizzlies are known for not backing down from any opponent, and the Wolves are not scared either
The litmus test begins at 191 Beale Street on Tuesday night. Will the Grizzlies be able to get back that swagger they had in the regular season?
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Sharon Brown highlights what the Grizzlies can do to even the series with the Wolves through the eyes of the team itself.

Down, but not out: 5 keys to a bounce-back Grizzlies victory in Game 2

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 16 rebounds, and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.
Jrue Holiday sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:03 left as part of an 8-0 run that gave the Bucks an 85-78 edge. The Bulls got the margin down to one but could never regain the lead, as Zach LaVine missed a potential tying 3-pointer from nearly 30 feet away with 29 seconds left.
The Bucks have won 17 of their last 18 meetings with the Bulls, including all five matchups this season. The Bulls&rsquo; lone victory during this stretch came in the 2020-21 regular-season finale when the Bucks rested all their starters.
Milwaukee kept that pattern going Sunday by holding Chicago to the lowest single-game point total of any Bucks opponent this season. But the Bucks also continued their habit of struggling in opening games of series.
The Bucks won last year&rsquo;s title despite dropping Game 1 in three of their four series. They had lost the opening game in five of their last six playoff series before Sunday, the exception coming when Khris Middleton hit a 3-pointer in the final second of overtime against the Miami Heat last season.
Brook Lopez scored 18 points, Holiday had 15, Khris Middleton had 11 and Bobby Portis added 10. Portis also had 12 rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, making their first playoff appearance in five years. LaVine had 18 points and 10 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
After the Bucks grabbed an early 32-16 lead and threatened to put this game out of reach early, the Bulls chipped away and finally pulled ahead by scoring 13 straight points late in the third quarter. Coby White scored the last five points of the run, including a 3-pointer that gave the Bulls their first lead at 67-64 with 3:11 left in the third.
White&rsquo;s layup made it 69-64, but the Bucks ended the third quarter with a 10-2 spurt to pull back ahead.
Vucevic&rsquo;s inside basket put Chicago back ahead 78-77 with 5:56 left. The Bucks regained the lead on Holiday&rsquo;s 3-pointer, which was just Milwaukee&rsquo;s second basket of the fourth quarter.
Lopez made it 83-78 with 4:34 left by converting a three-point play for his first points since the opening period. Holiday capped the 8-0 run by sinking a jumper with 3:58 remaining.
The Bulls cut the lead to 87-86 on Alex Caruso's layup with 1:36 left, but they wouldn&rsquo;t score again.
GOING BACK TO CHICAGO
With the two cities separated by only about 90 miles, the Bulls are heading back to Chicago after Game 1 before returning to Milwaukee for Wednesday&rsquo;s Game 2.
&ldquo;If we would have had to play Sunday-Tuesday, I think we would have definitely stayed here,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said before the game. &ldquo;But I think because we have two days, we have a chance to get home at a decent time, those guys can sleep in their own bed, practice tomorrow, practice Tuesday and then come back up.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bulls: Caruso was in the starting lineup. Caruso had started just 18 of the 41 regular-season games he played. ... The Bulls were missing assistant coaches Chris Fleming and Damian Cotter, who had tested positive for COVID-19. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re still in protocols right now with the league,&rdquo; Donovan said before the game. Donovan added that &ldquo;they have never really been in a situation where either one of them has felt bad at all, so that&rsquo;s been a positive.&rdquo;
Bucks: Reserve guard George Hill (abdominal strain) and reserve forward Jordan Nwora (back soreness) were unavailable for Sunday's game. Hill also was held out of the Bucks&rsquo; regular-season finale. ... This is the Bucks&rsquo; sixth straight playoff appearance, which matches their second-longest such streak. They reached the postseason 12 straight times from 1980-91.
UP NEXT
Game 2 is Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo battled foul trouble to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a Game 1 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Bucks bounce back after blowing big lead to beat Bulls 93-86

Jackson Frank breaks down the film and collaborates with Nekias Duncan and Mark Schindler to pick the 2021-22 All-NBA teams.

2021-22 All-NBA Teams: Praising this season's 15 best players

For a third of the NBA, summer break comes early.&nbsp;
Though 10 teams didn't make the playoffs, it's not all doom and gloom. Several NBA bottom-feeders took tangible steps forward in their rebuilding efforts, while others &mdash; well, they're not supposed to be here.
Every franchise enters the offseason with summer plans. As teams get eliminated from the postseason, I'll be rounding up every team's offseason outlook and posing one question they must answer over the summer. You'll see each squad's 2022 NBA Draft chest, plus their potential free agents, along with the central question.&nbsp;
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Let's get started!
DETROIT PISTONS 
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick (via Brooklyn)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Marvin Bagley III (restricted), Cory Joseph (player option), Hamidou Diallo (team option), Frank Jackson (team option), Luka Garza (team option), Carsen Edwards (team option), Rodney McGruder 
Central question: How do the Pistons build an offense around Cade Cunningham?
This was a pretty solid season for Detroit as far as rebuilding efforts go. Cade Cunningham emerged as a Rookie of the Year front-runner and two-way centerpiece who has fans ecstatic about his ceiling. The Pistons finished a solid 10-14 after the All-Star break, and have shown flashes of an improving defense. They did still finish with the 28th-ranked offense, per Cleaning the Glass, and one of the worst shooting rates in the NBA.
Cunningham had to carry a ridiculous offensive load in the latter stages of the season. Detroit has the power to change that in 2022-23, starting with its high draft pick. Maybe Jabari Smith's lights-out scoring means he's an ideal secondary option? Perhaps Paolo Banchero thrives as an additional creator, or maybe Chet Holmgren makes sense as a finisher and spot-up threat? The fun part about Cunningham is that his versatility creates so many pathways for the Pistons in the draft &mdash; whether or not the ping pong balls fall their way.
Detroit wields a cap hold of approximately $28 million on Bagley, and once that lifts (either via a new contract or letting him walk), the Pistons should have a solid chunk of cap space to add to the supporting cast.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), better of Brooklyn/Miami first-round picks
Potential free agents: John Wall (player option), Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando (restricted), Jae'Sean Tate (team option), Anthony Lamb (qualifying offer), Trevelin Queen (qualifying offer)
Central question: How patient is the front office willing to be?
Houston's 2021 draft strategy of "draft talent, figure out the fit later" appears to be working out. Jalen Green demonstrated an Anthony Edwards-esque leap post-All-Star break, Alperen Sengun is already one of the NBA's best passing bigs, and guys like Josh Christopher and KJ Martin routinely hinted at upside. Houston gets another prime shot at a franchise cornerstone this draft cycle. We're approaching Stage 2 of the strategy, though: figuring out how the pieces fit.&nbsp;
The Rockets were one of two NBA teams with bottom-five ratings on offense and defense. They led the league in rim frequency and were fourth in three-point frequency, but posted mediocre shooting clips. Houston evokes memories of the rebuilding Nets, who played a similarly extreme brand of ball for a few years as the team slowly reshaped into a fun playoff squad. Does the front office have the foresight to let head coach Stephen Silas work things out with his roster of young guns?&nbsp;
INDIANA PACERS
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How is there a &ldquo;rebuild&rdquo; to afraid of if it isn&rsquo;t a rebuild? <a href="https://t.co/0pDD7E6Mss">pic.twitter.com/0pDD7E6Mss</a>
&mdash; Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1512127632758001664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (10.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick (if 15-30, via Cleveland), Second-round pick (via Houston), Second-round pick (via Phoenix)
Potential free agents: Ricky Rubio, T.J. Warren, Jalen Smith, Lance Stephenson, Nate Hinton (restricted), Oshae Brissett (team option)
Central question: How extreme is the incoming rebuild, and what veterans mesh with the future vision?
Notably unlisted among the potential free agents are Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and T.J. McConnell. All range from solid starters to rotational complements, and 3 of the 4 (not Turner) will be 30 next season. The Pacers are clearly retooling, as evidenced by their trade-deadline fireworks and Tyrese Haliburton's subsequent high usage. They also have publicly flip-flopped regarding the direction of the team; see the above Tweet.
Indiana doesn't have the pure depth of talent to straddle the line. The Pacers can trade many of these talented players and build up a chest of draft picks and young pieces, or they can charge ahead, turn their picks into win-now players and hope Haliburton is ready for the playoff push. But a middle ground doesn't exist in an Eastern Conference where just about every team has solidified its direction.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Draft assets: None
Potential free agents: Russell Westbrook (player option), Kendrick Nunn (player option), Austin Reaves (team option), Stanley Johnson (team option), Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, D.J. Augustin, Wenyen Gabriel, Mason Jones (restricted)
Central question: What does team-building around two injury-prone superstars look like?
LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-i-dont-have-a-cap-on-how-long-i-want-to-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turns 38 next season</a>, and has played 60-plus games just once in the past four seasons. Anthony Davis has now missed more than half the season in back-to-back years. Sure, the Lakers were a mess regardless of their stars' health, but going forward, is pursuing fits next to James and Davis even worthwhile if the two won't consistently be on the court?
With just three players under contract (the aforementioned stars, plus Talen Horton-Tucker), the Lakers enter another offseason of a roster overhaul. This time, I'd recommend almost entirely forgetting about James and Davis when building the squad and simply try to assemble units that make sense together.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, could change based on Play-In results), Second-round pick via Boston and Charlotte (if 56-60)
Potential free agents: Mitchell Robinson, Ryan Arcidiacono 
Central question: What's going to happen with the veterans?
The top six moneymakers for the Knicks next season are all 27 or older, and I think many fans would say that out of the group, only Julius Randle should have started &mdash; and he seriously regressed this season. The young Knicks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-young-knicks-playing-chess" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clearly showed they're ready to take the mantle</a>.
So what happens with Randle, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker? Is Tom Thibodeau prepared to reduce their (their meaning Burks specifically in this case) minutes and usage, will trades be coming, or will Madison Square Garden burn when Immanuel Quickley opens the season by playing 16 minutes off the bench? New York has drafted extremely well in recent seasons, but the ceiling of the young core is capped if these youngsters don't get a chance to prove themselves in meaningful situations.
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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 
Draft assets: First-round pick (12.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via Clippers, First-round pick via Phoenix, Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Derrick Favors (player option), Mike Muscala (team option), Lu Dort (team option), Isaiah Roby (team option), Melvin Frazier (restricted)
Central question: What is the pathway in the frontcourt?
I've stanned Sam Presti's team-building strategy for years now, and I still think it's on track for a serious payoff. Josh Giddey slots in somewhere on your All-Rookie ballot, and draft classmates Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins flashed rotation-caliber play as well. It is simply a joy to watch a random young player have a breakout game on any given night, and OKC has already shown the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early stages of a prominent defense</a>.
Next up: Capitalize on a draft loaded with intruiging frontcourt players. Banchero, Holmgren and Smith are obviously the best of the best. But even if the Thunder slide in the lottery, they could pounce on an athletic shot-blocker like Jalen Duren, or use one of their later picks on a center like Mark Williams. I'm just spit-balling, but the point is that OKC has plenty of chances to find its big-man anchor and further flesh out its core.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Indiana
Potential free agents: Gary Harris, Robin Lopez, Bol Bol (restricted), Ignas Brazdeikis (restricted), Admiral Schofield (restricted)
Central question: How do the offensive pieces fit together?
Orlando quietly logged a 17th-ranked defense this season, and an 11th-ranked unit since Feb. 1. A dismal offense ultimately doomed the Magic, who were riddled with inconsistent shotmaking and poor team efficiency marks throughout the half-court. We don't need to sound any player alarms; it takes time for young guards in particular to grasp the responsibilities of running NBA offenses.&nbsp;
But what if I told you Orlando has wielded bottom-10 offensive ratings every season for the last decade?&nbsp;
Change can start in the draft, again with some of the top offensive forward options like Banchero or Smith. Adding another ball-dominant guard in Jaden Ivey might be overkill, but AJ Griffin and Bennedict Mathurin feel like good wing fits at first glance. Spotrac estimates the Magic could have up to $30 million in practical cap space, leaving plenty of room for veteran players to accentuate the young talent.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
THE D IN DREW STANDS FOR DUNK DO NOT GOOGLE THIS <a href="https://t.co/2AojdAskYV">pic.twitter.com/2AojdAskYV</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1508636734900166659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (9.0% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via New Orleans (if 5-14), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Memphis
Potential free agents: Joe Ingles, Jusuf Nurkic, Ben McLemore, Anfernee Simons (restricted), CJ Elleby (restricted), Elijah Hughes (restricted), Keljin Blevins (restricted)
Central question: Is Portland actually trying to win "now" or win soon?
Some really great development happened for the Blazers during the "wash" portion of the season in the form of players like Trendon Watford, Keon Johnson and Drew Eubanks. Add them to Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and the incomng draft picks, and Portland suddenly has... kind of a sneaky-deep prospect pool? There's real potential to mold this group into a rotation cast that gives Portland one of its deepest rosters in years.
That's why these <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jerami-grant-trade-rumors-portland-is-still-the-frontrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant trade rumors concern me</a>. Giving up a possible lottery pick to try and piece together a short-term playoff team risks too much and keeps the Trail Blazers in the limbo they have lounged in for several years. Understandably, the franchise wants to build a contender while Damian Lillard is invested and in his prime. With some patience, Portland can without sacrificing sustainibility.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Draft assets: First-round pick (7.5% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick (via Chicago)
Potential free agents: Jeremy Lamb, Josh Jackson, Damian Jones, Donte DiVincenzo (restricted), Neemias Queta (restricted), Trey Lyles (team option)
Central question: How does Sacramento turn into a competitive NBA defense?
The Kings have trotted out lackluster defenses for as long as I can remember. In fact, they haven't ranked above 20th in Defensive Rating since 2005-06 &mdash; notably, the last time they made the playoffs.
And that didn't change under interim head coach Alvin Gentry. (Gentry will not return as head coach next season, but is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-alvin-gentry-no-longer-interim-coach-of-the-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in talks for a front-office role</a>, per ESPN.) However, the on-paper roster actually shines some hope. Davion Mitchell made highlight reels out of his "Off-Night" defense. Justin Holiday is a solid individual defender, as is Harrison Barnes, and even De'Aaron Fox has his sporadic moments.&nbsp;
Can Sacramento find a head coach who turns a group of intriguing players with defensive potential into even an average squad? What draft and free agency options exist? Of course, the Kings would like to end their NBA-leading playoff drought. That'll come with changing the culture on defense.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, depends on Play-In results), Second-round pick (via Dallas)
Potential free agents: Bradley Beal (player option), Thomas Bryant, Raul Neto, Tomas Satoransky, Anthony Gill (restricted), Cassius Winston (restricted)
Central question: What style of guard play is a feasible best fit?
Okay, so obviously the biggest question mark surrounds Bradley Beal's free agency. But from a conceptual standpoint, Washington has tried and failed over the past few seasons to find Beal's best-fitting partner in crime. John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Spencer Dinwiddie were each supposed to provide the downhill juice Beal lacks. The Wizards either did this at serious expense of another skill area (Wall, Westbrook), or it just didn't translate their at-rim ability (Dinwiddie). All battled injuries as well.
"I think we need bigger guards," <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/bradley-beal-outlines-what-wizards-need-build-contender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beal said in March</a>. "We need more guys that can get in the paint for us, more ball-handlers, more guys that can really create and get two feet in the paint, but also who can knock down threes."
I mean, Beal's needs make total sense. The problem is that every other basketball team on Earth also wants this type of guard.
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Ethan Fuller sets the offseason stage for each team that missed the NBA playoffs.

Summer plans for the NBA's 10 non-playoff teams

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday each scored 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the short-handed Boston Celtics 127-121 on Thursday night to take over second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Bucks (50-30) scored the game&rsquo;s final nine points to move a half-game ahead of the Celtics (50-31) and a full game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (49-31), who lost 119-114 at Toronto on Thursday.
Milwaukee withstood a triple-double from Jaylen Brown, who had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Celtics. Brown&rsquo;s 11 assists matched his career high.
Marcus Smart shot 7 of 12 from 3-point range and was the Celtics&rsquo; leading scorer with a season-high 29 points. Daniel Theis had 22 points and Derrick White added 19 for the Celtics.
Khris Middleton had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo had 11 rebounds and five assists. Holiday had eight rebounds and eight assists.
One night after a 117-94 victory at Chicago, the Celtics held Jayson Tatum and Al Horford out of Thursday&rsquo;s game. They also continued to play without Robert Williams III, who hasn&rsquo;t played since March 27 due to a meniscus tear in his left knee.
The Celtics still almost won on the road.
Smart put Boston ahead 119-118 on a 3-pointer with 4:25 left and added a driving layup nearly two minutes later to make it 121-118.
Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis tied it by sinking a 3-pointer with 2:11 remaining.
The Bucks took the lead for good when Antetokounmpo made the second of two free throws with 1:31 left. After White missed a 3-pointer, Holiday converted a putback of his own miss to make it 124-121 with a minute remaining.
After Theis couldn&rsquo;t score from right under the basket, Antetokounmpo made one of two free throws to extend Milwaukee&rsquo;s lead to 125-121 with 39 seconds left.
HILL'S NECK PROBLEM
Bucks guard George Hill offered more clarity Thursday on the neck injury that caused him to miss 17 games before he returned to action March 14.
Hill said he had a partial tear between the sixth and seventh thoracic vertebra in his spine. Hill didn&rsquo;t undergo surgery and plans to revisit the issue after the season.
&ldquo;Surgery can be season-ending, so you don&rsquo;t want to do that,&rdquo; Hill said after the Bucks&rsquo; Thursday morning shootaround. &ldquo;You want to figure out how I can manage to get back out with the guys. It feels a lot better now. I&rsquo;m just trying to give it everything I have.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Celtics: Rookie Sam Hauser, a Wisconsin native who began his college career at Marquette, had a career-high 11 points and went 3 of 4 on 3-point attempts. Marquette and the Bucks both play their home games at Fiserv Forum. ... Celtics assistant coach Ben Sullivan, an assistant on Milwaukee's staff last season, received his 2020-21 championship ring in a pregame ceremony.
Bucks: The Bucks requested waivers on DeAndre&rsquo; Bembry, who played eight games for them before suffering a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-utah-jazz-nba-sports-brook-lopez-7703bb40fb72236c5e9655a26a7a6389">season-ending knee injury</a> in a loss at Golden State on March 12. &hellip; Grayson Allen didn&rsquo;t play due to left hip soreness. &ldquo;He got hit a little bit the other night in Chicago,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game, referring to a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-boston-celtics-nba-sports-89c777fcb55642d97f5523ac2d5f6024"> 127-106 victory</a> over the Bulls on Tuesday. &ldquo;Hopefully it&rsquo;s short-term.&rdquo; ... The Bucks outscored the Celtics 58-34 in the paint.
UP NEXT
Celtics: At Memphis on Sunday. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-boston-celtics-brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-3d2600b0730722e97fedf317fcb1237b">The Celtics beat the Grizzlies 120-107</a> in Boston on March 3.
Bucks: At Detroit on Friday. The Bucks are 2-1 against the Pistons this season but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-khris-middleton-jrue-holiday-milwaukee-c2a817547bf4b377674b1909beacc87a">lost the last matchup 115-106</a> at Milwaukee on Jan. 3.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday each scored 29 points and the Bucks edged the shorthanded Celtics to take second in the East.

Giannis, Holiday help Bucks rally past Celtics 127-121

Award talk is ramping up as the season winds down. We all love debating these topics, but that's also the bad news. We&nbsp;all love debating these topics. Fun conversations devolve into bad-faith arguments if you aren't careful.&nbsp;
(Are you even online, watching television, having conversations with friends, if you aren't being bombarded with "Player X is the obvious, no-questions-asked MVP" arguments?)
I won't act like I'm above the awards talk &mdash; <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a> will be having an awards episode later this week &mdash; but this also seems like a good time to go off the beaten path since everyone's talking about the major awards.
Basketball is a simple game in its own right, but it is ruled by microskills. Wins and losses are decided by which teams &mdash; which players &mdash; can fill their roles the best. It would only make sense, then, to dig deeper and highlight players who are excelling within those roles.
With that in mind, I elicited the help of resident smart guys Jackson Frank and Mark Schindler to hand out some skill-specific awards. Before digging in, let's do some housekeeping.
<ul>
<li>We do not hate your favorite players. If they are not mentioned, it is simply because they weren't held in as high of a regard as the players who are mentioned.</li>
<li>To that point, there will be honorable mentions listed. That doesn't mean they are the&nbsp;only&nbsp;players worthy of that distinction.</li>
<li>You're more than welcome to disagree with these choices! That's the fun of it. Heck, we&nbsp;didn't have the same guys or order for these awards, but we were able to whittle things down.</li>
</ul>
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Now, let's hand out some awards.
BEST SCREENER: DOMANTAS SABONIS
Honorable mentions: Steven Adams, Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, Nikola Vucevic
I'll never forget Caitlin Cooper's article on Domas <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/12/2/20991829/domantas-sabonis-indiana-pacers-art-of-screening" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sabonis' screening</a> back in 2019. To that point, it was one of the first &mdash; if not the&nbsp;first &mdash; deep dive I've seen on someone's screening.
She touched on the sheer volume of screens Sabonis set; his sense of flipping the angle on screens to pry ball-handlers open. Knowing when to slip if defenses went with more aggressive coverages. Those astute observations remain true roughly three years later.
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Sabonis is more of a revolving door than a brick wall, but his ability to do both at a high level is what earns him this distinction. He only ranks <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle/?sort=SCREEN_ASSISTS&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third in screen assists</a> (5.5) this season, though he's led the NBA in each of the past two seasons.
It's worth pointing out the prowess of Rudy Gobert, who leads the NBA in screen assists (6.4). He's long been an underrated linchpin of Utah's offensive success. Heck, it feels like he's the reason screen assists have become part of the non-casual fan's vernacular.
Nobody has set more on-ball picks than Nikola Vucevic (3,167) this season, per Second Spectrum. His work with freeing Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan has been invaluable, especially at the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-demar-derozans-dagger-dime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">end of games</a>.
If you're a fan of bone-crushing screens, look no further than Steven Adams and Bam Adebayo. Second Spectrum tracks the percentage of screens that a defender "dies on"; it should come as no surprise that Adams leads the NBA by a solid margin (5.7%) among high-volume screeners, while Adebayo ranks third (3.9%). Quick hat tip to Kevon Looney (4.7%) for being sandwiched between those two; he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kevon-looney-the-warriors-unsung-hero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deserves more love</a>.
BEST SCREEN NAVIGATOR: HERB JONES
Honorable mentions: Alex Caruso, Mikal Bridges, Gary Payton II
The NBA is a pick-and-roll game. With the heightened emphasis on spacing and three-point shooting (linked, but not the same thing), elite ball-handlers have more room to operate. Add in the fluctuating scale of physicality allowed from defenders, and it's pretty darn hard to contain people.
The fact that Herb Jones, a second-round draft pick, is already among the NBA's elite defenders is flat-out insane. You simply can't keep this guy out of a play unless you have a crowbar present.&nbsp;
He does a phenomenal job of staying attached to ball-handlers. He's able to re-connect if he's bumped on screens, but also has the length to duck under picks and offer strong contests anyway.
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If you want a number, let's go back to the die-on-screen percentage. Among 28 players who have faced at least 1,000 picks this season, only Desmond Bane (0.6%) has been washed out less frequently than Jones (0.9%).
There's some context needed. Players in heavy switching schemes will naturally have a lower percentage than those who have to fight over screens while their big drops back. Even if you filter only for the screens being fought over, Jones has a top-five mark among high-volume defenders (minimum 300 picks fought over), per Second Spectrum.
Now, factor in Jones getting the opposing team's best perimeter option; because of that, Jones defends more picks per 100 possessions (29.7) than Bane does (22.4). He should be getting legit All-Defense love.
The same could be said for Alex Caruso before injuries derailed his season. During the Bulls' run as the East's top seed, Caruso set the table with his gnarly defense at the point of attack.
Mikal Bridges likely&nbsp;will&nbsp;make an All-Defensive team this year for his work. He doesn't miss games, he plays high minutes and he relishes the matchups he's tasked with.&nbsp;
There may not be a better point-of-attack defender than Gary Payton II on a per-possession basis, though he gets dinged a bit for his lack of workload.
BEST HELP DEFENDER: GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Honorable mentions: Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, Robert Williams III, Marcus Smart, Evan Mobley
Here's a minute's worth of help rotations from Giannis this year. Hit me up on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@NekiasNBA</a>) and let me know which clip is the one that makes you laugh, because it will absolutely happen.
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It remains wild to me that this can be considered a down year for Giannis, and he's still been one of the most destructive forces in basketball. He's had to toggle more roles this year with the extended absence of Brook Lopez. When tasked with being an off-ball roamer &mdash; his best role &mdash; he's been able to blow things up.
It's been a pretty wild year for mess-cleaner Rudy Gobert. He is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact/?sort=DEF_RIM_FG_PCT&amp;dir=-1&amp;CF=DEF_RIM_FGA*GE*4&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of three players</a> defending at least four shots at the rim (7.0) and allowing a field-goal percentage under 50% (49.9%); Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. (4.8, 49.6%) and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-isaiah-hartenstein-is-the-clippers-secret-weapon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaiah Hartenstein</a> (4.7, 47.6%) are the others.
The same can be said for Robert Williams III (get well soon!), whose deployment on weak shooters has unlocked his prowess as a shot-blocker. That hack has been a pretty big part of Boston's elite defense.
It feels like some of the shine is wearing off of Evan Mobley's campaign. He's been more of an anchor than helper since Jarrett Allen has gone down; don't sleep on what he's been able to do in the helper role though. His unique blend of size, length, mobility and discipline has allowed him to shut things down. Whether he's rotating from the weak side or causing havoc as part of the zone, he's already one of the most feared defenders in the league.
Kudos are in order for the work Draymond Green and Marcus Smart put in. They are two of the best communicators in the NBA, able to call out opposing sets and direct switches to flatten out actions. Neither are traditional weak-side rim-protectors, but Green wins with his positioning and verticality while Smart takes charges like he doesn't give a single [expletive] about his well-being.
SHORT-ROLL THREAT: NIKOLA JOKIC
Honorable mentions: Joel Embiid, Dwight Powell, Deandre Ayton
In normal circumstances, I'd call Jokic a basketball computer due to his ability to map the floor and make great decisions on a whim. In light of the banter around the MVP conversation, it's probably best to keep Jokic and "computer" out of the same sentence.
With no Jamal Murray, you don't see Denver ball-handlers get all-out trapped too often. But on the occasions that Jokic is able to face a 4-on-3, 3-on-2 or 2-on-1, the inevitablitity pops out. What do you with a player with Jokic's passing chops and intermediate scoring ability?
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You pray. That's what you do.
His MVP-candidate counterpart in Joel Embiid doesn't exhibit the same skill as a passer, but he brings the funk as a scorer. Whether it's bullying smaller defenders at the rim, or slowing things down to sprinkle in pull-up jumpers, scrambling defenses don't have much of a shot.
Deandre Ayton has made real strides as a scorer in these situations. If we want to talk about intermediate scoring, you have to shine line on his career-high 59.0% clip on shots between 3 to 10 feet.
And then, there's Dwight Powell. He's generating well over 1.2 points per possession when shooting or passing out of a trapped ball-screen, a number sandwiched between Jokic and Embiid. He's long been one of the NBA's underrated roll men; his improvements as a passer have nearly made trapping Luka-led pick-and-rolls untenable.
BEST DRIVER: LUKA DONCIC
Honorable mentions: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ja Morant
Speaking of Luka, he narrowly edged out our candidates as the NBA's best driver. It's become commonplace to describe a lead ball-handler as one that plays at their own pace &mdash; oddly enough, sub-elite athletes seem to make up 100% of the list of those players. But Luka really does.&nbsp;
He doesn't blow past you; he freakin'&nbsp;bodies you while going 6 miles per hour, then contorts his body for rim finishes or dimes to open teammates.
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Doncic ranks <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second in the NBA</a> in drives (22.4), leads the NBA in assists via drives (3.0) and is converting 55.3% of his shots off drives. That 55.3% clip ranks fifth among 53 players averaging at least 10 drives a game.
If Luka's style isn't your speed, I'd once again like to present Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the NBA's funkiest driver. Differing stride lengths, off-foot gathers, quicker-than-usual scoop shots against unsuspecting defenders. He's got the juice, man.
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SGA's got the stats, too. He leads the NBA in drives and free-throw attempts drawn, and boasts a comically low turnover rate despite passing at a higher rate than Trae Young.
And then there's Ja Morant, who glides through the air like he belongs there. He's the NBA's leader in paint points for a reason.
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Three unique talents with contrasting driving styles. You truly love to see it.
BEST PASSER: TRAE YOUNG
Honorable mentions: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Chris Paul
While we're on Trae Young, there's nobody in the league doing what he's doing right now. He may just join Nate "Tiny" Archibald as the second player to lead the NBA in total points and assists. And to the latter point, he gets the "best passer" tag for being able to make every read in the book while being my size.
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Teams are geared to defend Young. They throw size on him. They trap him. They pre-rotate to take away his common reads, and yet, he counters all of your counters. He's the NBA's premier lob-thrower while being a skip-pass savant. He doesn't need to see over your defense because he already knows where everyone is.
If you do enjoy the advantage of looking over the top of defenders, it's hard to argue against Luka Doncic. There really isn't a coverage you can play that prevents him from dotting you up. A growing favorite: watching Doncic get trapped, only for him to casually string it out before tossing a dart.
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I'm not sure there's much more to be said about Nikola Jokic at this point. Between his long distance hookups after boards and preternatural sense for finding cutters, it's been&nbsp;time to discuss where he ranks among the top passers of all-time, period. He's top five in my book, and that's probably conservative.
Oh, right, Chris Paul is leading the NBA in assists without really turning the ball over. Another year in the office.
BEST DUNKER: MILES BRIDGES
Honorable mentions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, KJ Martin, Obi Toppin, Jarrett Allen
It is hard not to enjoy the musical stylings of Miles Bridges. It is also hard not to enjoy the musical&nbsp;stylings of Miles Bridges.
I could bore you with the numbers, like him being one of four non-bigs to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022_shooting.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rank in the top 15</a> of total dunks (13th, 116). But honestly, just look at what this dude does with a runway. It's skillful violence.
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The combination of power and pretty (he has some fire&nbsp;windmills in his film) gives him the edge over the inevitability of Giannis (third, 174) and Jarrett Allen (fourth, 164), as well as the suddenness of KJ Martin (15th, 111) and Obi Toppin (23rd, 93).
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Nekias Duncan, Jackson Frank and Mark Schindler team up to hand out some skill-specific awards for the 2021-22 season.

Introducing the 2021-22 NBA Superlative Awards

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a rather quiet performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
The defending NBA champion Bucks haven&rsquo;t been on a run like this since Don Nelson&rsquo;s teams won seven consecutive division titles in the 1980s.
They took control early and came away with an easy win even though DeMar DeRozan scored 40 for Chicago.
Antetokounmpo, trying to overtake LeBron James and Joel Embiid in a tight race for his first scoring title, finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. But the two-time MVP started slow and spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench after picking up his fifth foul.
Lopez had his best performance after missing most of the season because of a back injury. Khris Middleton scored 19.
Grayson Allen and Bobby Portis added 13 points apiece as the Bucks completed a four-game season sweep of the Bulls.
DeRozan did all he could to carry Chicago, with two-time All-Star Zach LaVine sidelined because of ongoing soreness in his left knee.
Patrick Williams added 18 points. Nikola Vucevic struggled, going 3 of 19 and scoring seven points. He did draw loud cheers when he knocked Allen to the floor early in the fourth quarter, delighting fans angry about Allen's hard foul earlier this season on Chicago&rsquo;s Alex Caruso that resulted in a broken wrist.
But the Bulls once again lost to an elite opponent. They are a combined 2-20 against the top four teams in the East and West.
Chicago also fell to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a game behind Toronto with three to play. The Raptors beat Atlanta.
Vucevic hit a corner 3-pointer for Chicago just before the halftime buzzer and DeRozan hit a jumper in the opening seconds of the third to cut it to 58-48.
Milwaukee regrouped and pushed the lead to 21, only to have the Bulls get within 10 again late in the third. Two free throws by Antetokounmpo in the closing minute of the quarter and a 3 from the top by Jrue Holiday made it 96-80 before DeRozan hit jumper to cut the margin to 14 heading to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Antetokounmpo was available despite a sore right knee.
Bulls: PG Lonzo Ball experienced another setback in his recovery from surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee, raising more doubt about whether he will play again this season. Ball felt some discomfort after he tried to ramp up activities again following a 10-day pause, coach Billy Donovan said. Donovan said the next step will probably be a &ldquo;meeting of the minds&rdquo; in the next day or two. And the possibility of Ball missing the remainder of the season is &ldquo;on the table.&rdquo; Ball has not played since Jan. 14. ... Donovan said he didn't necessarily get the sense that LaVine will need to miss a chunk of games, though his status for Wednesday's matchup with Boston was in question.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Bulls: Host the Celtics on Wednesday.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory

Lopez scores 28, Bucks beat Bulls 127-106 to clinch Central

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic continues to feel right at home when he&rsquo;s facing the Milwaukee Bucks, even when his Dallas Mavericks are on the road facing a fourth-quarter deficit.
Doncic scored 32 points and matched a season high with 15 assists to help the Mavericks defeat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Bucks 118-112 on Sunday.
&ldquo;Obviously, when you play against superstars like Giannis today, you always have extra motivation,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a champion, a two-time MVP.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Milwaukee was essentially at full strength Sunday after resting all of its usual starters in a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-los-angeles-clippers-nba-sports-amir-coffey-04314a6d25c3feecb162c802fbb5120e">153-119 loss </a> to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Doncic flirted with a triple-double before finishing with eight rebounds. In six career games against the Bucks, Doncic has averaged 26.8 points, 11.3 assists and 9.2 rebounds with three triple-doubles.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the most talented players in the league, one of the most talented players probably ever to play this game,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo added that &ldquo;we tried to make it tough for him, but he played well.&rdquo;
Dallas&rsquo; Dwight Powell added 22 points and 13 rebounds &mdash; one off his career high &mdash; and the Mavericks bounced back two days after a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/dallas-mavericks-washington-wizards-nba-sports-jason-kidd-77c63b8a4a0a560dca39ed8cd8dc0c58">135-103 loss</a> at Washington.
&ldquo;On the road against the champs, it&rsquo;s a hard place to win, especially after we had that performance in Washington,&rdquo; Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;This group in the locker room knows they can respond."
After a basket by Bobby Portis briefly gave the Bucks a one-point lead early in the fourth, Doncic led the Mavericks back by scoring or assisting on each of Dallas&rsquo; first 11 points in the final period.
Doncic hit a 3-pointer to put the Mavericks back ahead 93-91 with 9:04 left. He made a pair of free throws just over a minute later to make it 95-91. He capped the 8-0 run by finding Dorian Finney-Smith for a corner 3-pointer with 7:20 left.
Antetokounmpo made two free throws to cut the margin to five, but Doncic found Reggie Bullock for a corner 3-pointer that extended Dallas&rsquo; lead to 101-93 with 6:55 remaining.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s able to pick apart whatever a defense is throwing at him,&rdquo; said Jalen Brunson, who scored 15 points for the Mavericks.
Milwaukee's Jrue Holiday sank a 3-pointer to cut the Mavericks&rsquo; lead to 101-98 midway through the fourth quarter. Powell responded by converting a conventional three-point play to make it 104-98 with 5:52 remaining.
The margin didn&rsquo;t drop below five the rest of the way.
Bullock had 16 points and Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie had 11 each for the Mavericks. Holiday had 20, Portis 17, Brook Lopez 14, Pat Connaughton 12 and Khris Middleton 11 for the Bucks.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Maxi Kleber didn&rsquo;t play due to a sore right ankle. ... Mavericks coach Jason Kidd congratulated former Dallas coach Del Harris for his selection to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame on Saturday, but said it&rsquo;s about time another former Mavericks coach gets honored as well. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re all excited for him and his family because he should have been in there a long time ago,&rdquo; Kidd said before the game. &ldquo;The next guy we have to try to get in is Dick Motta. He should be in, too, a coach that maybe didn&rsquo;t do the politic thing, but he came to work every day and so he&rsquo;s the one that should be in the Hall of Fame next. Hopefully we can get him in.&rdquo; ... This was Kidd&rsquo;s first game in Milwaukee as a visiting head coach since the end of his own Bucks tenure. Kidd, who&rsquo;s in his first season with Dallas, coached the Bucks from 2015-18.
Bucks: Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s season scoring average remained at 30.1 points. He entered the day ranked second in the league to LeBron James (30.3). Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid was averaging 30.0 points. Antetokounmpo has never won the scoring title.
CLOSE CALL
The Mavericks were leading 106-101 with 4:47 left when Holiday was called for fouling Doncic on a 3-point attempt. The Bucks challenged the call, but officials determined after looking at the replay that Holiday had made contact with Doncic&rsquo;s head.
Doncic made all three of his ensuing free throws.
&ldquo;Jrue told me after the game, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re welcome for the haircut,'" Doncic quipped. &ldquo;But he got me a little bit, though. I think that&rsquo;s a foul.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Mavericks: At Detroit on Wednesday. The Mavericks will be completing a four-game trip before finishing the regular season with two home games.
Bucks: At Chicago on Tuesday. The Bucks are 3-0 against the Bulls this season.

Luka Doncic scored 32 points to help the Mavericks defeat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Bucks 118-112.

Doncic leads Mavericks to 118-112 victory over Bucks

If this has felt like a weird season for the Milwaukee Bucks, it's because it has been.&nbsp;
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton have all missed at least 10 games this season. Brook Lopez has missed all but eight games.&nbsp;
The defense has been flipped on its head, in large part due to Lopez's extended absence after the season opener. They went from a drop-heavy system to one of aggression; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-bucks-are-reinventing-themselves-on-defense-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it looked good</a> ... <a href="https://uproxx.com/dimemag/milwaukee-bucks-defense-brook-lopez-breakdown-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">until it didn't</a>.&nbsp;
Injuries, COVID absences, rotation and personnel changes (hi Serge Ibaka), general malaise. That isn't unique to the Bucks, but you'd like to have a firmer handle on a team that just won a title.
Tuesday night's showing against the Philadelphia 76ers served as a nice reminder to the masses: They are monsters when healthy, and can ramp things up on both ends of the floor.
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Good things happen when the Giannis-Jrue-Middleton triumvirate is on the floor together. The Bucks have a 33-9 record in games they play together. Per Cleaning The Glass, Milwaukee is outscoring opponents by nearly 12 points per 100 possessions with them on the floor.
Further, the Bucks are at their most dangerous when all three players are used&nbsp;together. That Net Rating is high because their offense (121.0 Offensive Rating) is absolutely absurd. Their skill sets also contrast enough to force defenses into uncomfortable positions when teaming up in set plays.
Take this doozy that the Bucks ran late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's affair.
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Whew.
The Bucks set up in HORNS, one of the most common offensive alignments in the league. If you see a player at each elbow and a player slotted in each corner, that's what it is.
What I love about this is the Bucks take a routine look and flip it on its head. The Bucks love running Middleton off a Giannis screen to set up a high ball-screen with a spread floor. It'd look something like this.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_30_18_40_24_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
But instead, Middleton sets a screen&nbsp;for Holiday,&nbsp;which throws the Sixers off.&nbsp;
The Sixers are planning to switch anything involving these three players, but the positioning of Middleton and Giannis make things tough. Tobias Harris isn't in position to cleaning switch onto Holiday after the impromptu screen; Georges Niang can't really leap out to take him because he has the Giannis assignment, and you don't want him rolling into open space.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_30_18_40_44_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
And that's what makes this play genius from the Bucks. They know the Sixers plan to switch, so they set up their spacing in a way to make that exchange difficult.&nbsp;
The Giannis portion is especially fascinating. As the saying goes, the best way to beat a switch is with a slip; sure enough, Giannis slips that sucker as Harris and Niang try to figure out the Holiday assignment on the fly.&nbsp;
Giannis doesn't&nbsp;just&nbsp;slip; he slips to the side with a single shooter. Wes Matthews is stashed in the corner, defended by Tyrese Maxey. Because they're on the weak side, Maxey is the "low man" on this play. His responsibility is to tag Giannis on the role.
That poses two problems, though:
1) Maxey&nbsp;also&nbsp;has to account for Matthews, a career 41.6% shooter from the corners.
2) Maxey is at a significant size disadvantage even if he does fully commit to Giannis.
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Unfortunately for the Sixers, Maxey doesn't choose Door No. 1 or Door No. 2; instead, he gets caught in no man's land. Giannis gets an uncontested lob as a result.
In a shocking turn of events, the Bucks went to the same action roughly a minute later. If you're nice, you'll do it twice.&nbsp;
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Niang and Harris switch this time, but the same issue pops up. Nobody can get to Holiday in time while also trying to account for Giannis slipping to the rim. Joel Embiid tries to cheat down from the strong side (generally a no-no) this time, but it doesn't matter.&nbsp;
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Nekias Duncan shows how dangerous the Bucks are when they use Giannis Antetokoumpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton together.

Explain one play: The Bucks and the power of three

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points and had a game-deciding block of Joel Embiid in the final seconds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 118-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s top teams.
Khris Middleton added 22 points and Jrue Holiday had 18 for the Bucks, who pulled within a half-game of idle Miami for first place in the East.
James Harden had 32 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers, and Embiid recovered from a slow start and finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Philadelphia dropped 1&frac12; behind the Heat in the conference.
Antetokounmpo added 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for the defending NBA champion Bucks.
The Bucks scored 13 of the first 17 points of the fourth, going in front on Middleton&rsquo;s 3-pointer that made it 94-93 with nine minutes to play. The game remained close the rest of the way, with neither team going up by more than six points.
Every time it looked as if Milwaukee was going to pull away, the 76ers answered with a 3 to stay close. Embiid&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 49.8 seconds left pulled Philadelphia within 117-116. After a turnover by Brook Lopez, Philadelphia had a chance to go in front, but Embiid missed a 14-footer following a timeout.
Antetokounmpo was fouled on the ensuing possession and made the first of two free throws to put the Bucks up 118-116 with 13.2 seconds to play. After another 76ers timeout, Harden&rsquo;s step-back 3 was long. Embiid grabbed the rebound and looked primed to tie it with an easy layup, but Antetokounmpo swatted it away with 1.6 seconds left. The officials originally ruled that it was goaltending, tying the score, but it was overturned after a video review.
The 76ers controlled the ensuing jump ball but ran out of time for a shot.
The game pitted a pair of teams that have their eyes on the NBA title. The Bucks broke a long title drought last season, earning the franchise&rsquo;s second title after winning their first in 1971. Philadelphia last won a championship in 1983, and the 76ers added Harden at the trade deadline to bolster their chances of the franchise&rsquo;s fourth title.
Milwaukee has been one of the NBA&rsquo;s best teams since the All-Star break, going 11-4 as it gears up for another postseason run. Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said he doesn&rsquo;t hear the Bucks enough when NBA title contenders are mentioned.
&ldquo;I hear everybody but Milwaukee,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t luck into winning.&rdquo;
Embiid, among the frontrunners for MVP, got off to a slow start against the Bucks, missing six of his first seven shots. He warmed up down the stretch of the first half and helped the 76ers to a 61-51 lead at the break.
Antetokounmpo and Harden traded first-half highlights, with the Bucks star and two-time MVP dunking on Embiid with his left hand late in the first quarter before a thunderous, two-handed jam late in the second. Harden scored over Antetokounmpo with his trademark step-back 3 with 35.7 seconds left in the first and connected with Matisse Thybulle with a beautiful three-quarter court pass to set Thybulle up for an easy dunk.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Jrue Holiday (left ankle soreness) and Serge Ibaka (non-COVID illness) returned after both sat out Saturday&rsquo;s 127-102 loss at Memphis. &hellip; Antetokounmpo is 40 points from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the franchise&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer. Antetokounmpo has scored 14,172 career points.
76ers: Former Sixer and Hall of Famer Bobby Jones rang the ceremonial Liberty Bell prior to the contest. &hellip; Connor Castellani, a 29-year-old fan from Linwood, New Jersey, won 76ers season tickets for next season by hitting a half-court shot during a first-half timeout. &hellip; Danny Green was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul on Antetokounmpo 1:19 into the fourth.
UP NEXT:
Bucks: At Brooklyn on Thursday night.
76ers: At Detroit on Thursday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points and had a game-deciding block of Joel Embiid in the final seconds.