Bucks Stock Market: Giannis scores his age as the Bucks outlast the Cavaliers
It was not the prettiest game you'll ever seen, but Milwaukee got the win at least.
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.
Happy birthday to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 27 points on his 27th birthday Monday in Milwaukee’s gritty win over the Cleveland Cavaliers! The Bucks held a lead for basically all of the latter three quarters after a 24-all start to the game, but let Cleveland back in over and over by not covering Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen beyond the arc. Nevertheless, the Bucks got enough stops to secure the win and get themselves a nice boost in the standings, with lots of other Eastern Conference teams losing to start the week.
Giannis Antetokounmpo 📈
How could the birthday boy not get an upstock? In all seriousness, even though Giannis was clearly limited both physically and by a minutes restriction (he only logged 27 minutes and some change) he was still clearly the best player on the floor, taking over as needed to ensure the Bucks got the win and he remained undefeated on his birthdays in the NBA.
Javonte Smart 📈
On the last Gyro Step, Rohan and I discussed how it seemed like Javonte Smart fit on the NBA level even though he didn’t actually have the greatest game against the Heat on Saturday. On Monday night, he remained solid overall but added some WOW flashes, including a gorgeous pass to a rolling Giannis that was kicked out and then swung to Grayson Allen for a made three, and this beautiful euro step (it’s only a Gyro Step when Giannis or Thanasis does it!).
Wes Matthews 📈
Wes Matthews may have only made one shot, but it was a beautiful corner three, and one of just two attempts on the evening for him. In addition to the offense, the stout defense that has become Matthews’ calling card was on display all night, especially when he dislodged the ball from one of the Cavs’ many big men in post position. Wes isn’t going to carry a heavy burden in terms of minutes or shots, but he’s reliable and knows how to fit in on this Bucks team. Those two things are going to keep him in the rotation unless someone can come along and actively dislodge him. (By the way, did I mention Donte DiVincenzo is back practicing again…?)
The Bucks are back in action Wednesday night, when they kick off a four-game road trip in Miami to take on the battered Heat at 6:30 pm Central.