Bucks Stock Market: Dominating the Bulls

Milwaukee improves to 13-1 against Chicago under Mike Budenholzer.

The Bucks Stock Market is a fictitious market run by the GSPN crew that tracks player stock “movement” following the conclusion of every game. Here’s the spreadsheet logging the game-by-game results.

The Milwaukee Bucks played host to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night, and news came before the game that the Bucks would be short-handed in this border battle. Mike Budenholzer revealed that Khris Middleton took a hard fall during Saturday’s loss to the Timberwolves and would miss this game due to wrist soreness. Without their second-leading scorer, the Bucks managed to obliterate the Bulls 126-98. It felt like a Bucks regular season game from two years ago; the defense was active, the offense was flowing, and it was garbage time by the start of the fourth quarter. Let’s talk movements!

Jrue Holiday📈

This is getting ridiculous. 27 points, 83.3% shooting inside the arc, 40% shooting from beyond the arc, great defense. What can’t this man do? We’re inching ever so close to playoff time, and I feel more confident than I ever thought I could be with Jrue’s offense. His step-back is real, and his finishing, which bothered him in the playoffs last season, is real. Am I getting too excited?

Brook Lopez📈

The Bucks are starting to play like the Bucks again, and I credit that to Brook Lopez. He makes everyone play the way they want to play. Guards can trust him to play 1-on-2 until they get through screens on defense, forwards can rely on him to protect the rim, and he can be trusted to box out for easy rebounds. Against the Bulls, he played great defense in space against shifty players like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan while being able to clean up messes at the rim. Offensively, he was great at creating separation on screens and managed to score both inside and outside.

Wes Matthews📈

Is Wes back?! It sure feels like it. After going 2-4 from deep against Chicago, Matthews has hit multiple threes in four consecutive games, which he hasn’t done since early January. Aside from his outside shot, he even had a few fun finishes at the rim, which just feels like found money for a guy who is realistically only expected to shoot threes on the offensive end.

The Milwaukee Bucks play the second game of this home stand on Thursday, March 24th, taking on the Washington Wizards at 7:00pm central.