It wasn’t easy, but the Milwaukee Bucks picked up their second win of the week, taking down the New Orleans Pelicans in a nail biter. The win indirectly improves the Bucks’ chances of keeping their pick, separating themselves from each other by nine games in the lottery standings. Ryan Rollins led the Bucks offense with 27 points, four assists, and four rebounds. Trey Murphy led all players with 44 points on an incredible 12/19 shooting from three-point range.
After another 20+ point performance last night against the Bulls, Rollins got into a rhythm on offense early. He scored the first five points for Milwaukee, but through four minutes, he was the only Buck to put the ball in the basket, as they trailed by six. The deficit grew to eight before Amir Coffey finally hit a three, sparking a 7-0 run from the Bucks. Milwaukee was able to stay in striking distance of New Orleans thanks to Coffey, who finished with nine points on a perfect 4/4 shooting. A corner three from Pete Nance off an assist from Coffey cut the Pelicans lead down to four, 34-30, heading into the second quarter.
After going 4/9 from three-point distance in the first, Milwaukee started 3/6 from deep. Gary Trent Jr. picked up where he left off from yesterday, as he nailed two of them. Despite the Bucks’ shooting prowess, the Pelicans matched them. Jose Alvarado hit three shots from range, keeping New Orleans ahead of Milwaukee. The Pelicans took their largest advantage of the night at nine, thanks to a 8-2 run. After the Bucks cut the lead down to four, Trey Murphy connected on three straight buckets from distance. The third came with three seconds left, sending the Pelicans to the locker room up by seven, 70-63.
Milwaukee came out of the gates swinging, going on a 10-5 opening run to cut the lead down to two points. Murphy continued to shoot the ball with authority, dropping in two more threes. Zion Williamson started to put his stamp on the game, scoring five straight points including a fast break dunk to put New Orleans back up by six. The Bucks were able to draw even, after KPJ slammed home a dunk. Milwaukee did have a chance to take the lead on the ensuing possession, but a turnover from Porter led to a Micah Peavy fast break dunk. The Pels’ three-point shooting continued to give the Bucks problems, as Jeremiah Fears hit back-to-back threes. AJ Green responded with a three of his own at the buzzer, cutting the deficit down to five, 104-99.
The Bucks finally took the lead in the fourth, thanks to an 8-0 run inside the first three minutes. Trent’s third three put Milwaukee up by six, leading to an immediate timeout from James Borrego. Murphy dragged the Pels back into the game, drilling three straight from beyond the arc to cut the Bucks’ lead down to just three points. Murphy’s 12th three of the game tied the game with 90 seconds on the clock, and NOLA re-took the lead after Williamson buried two free throws. A dunk from KPJ tied the game back up, and after Kyle Kuzma drew a charge, Milwaukee had a chance to take the lead back with 11.1 seconds to go. With two seconds on the shot clock, Myles Turner drilled what was thought to be a go-ahead corner three. Official review determined that his left foot was out of bounds when he caught the ball, giving the Pelicans a chance to win with 7.7 seconds left. The Bucks got the initial stop with 1.1 seconds left, but Kuzma threw the ball out of bounds, giving New Orleans the ball underneath the Bucks’ basket. Murphy had a contested look at the rim and missed, sending the game into overtime.
Milwaukee scored a quick five points in the opening minute of overtime. Green converted a heavily contested three, pushing their advantage to six, but Herb Jones responded with a three for the Pelicans with 2:14 left. The Bucks clung to a one-point advantage after Williamson converted a couple of free throws with 95 seconds left. Green turned the ball over with 31.6 left, but Murphy’s long three missed, and Rollins was able to secure the rebound. Yet, he couldn’t put the Bucks up by three, going just ½ from the line. NOLA had a chance to tie or win the game, but Williamson committed an offensive foul, giving the ball back to Milwaukee. KPJ’s two free throws with 5.2 seconds put Milwaukee up four, essentially icing the game.
It was a full team effort out of the Bucks tonight, and that was reflected in the box score. When it was all said and done, Milwaukee had seven players finish in double figures. Only two players who played more than 10 minutes didn’t reach that mark, with Kuzma scoring seven points and Jericho Sims putting up eight.
