The first clutch bucket wasn’t enough for the Milwaukee Bucks, nor was the second—but finally the third vital shot did the trick for Jason Kidd’s squad at the buzzer in an incredible game against the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix first answered Jared Dudley’s key three, then had a response to Brandon Knight’s tough go-ahead floater. But when Khris Middleton banked home a heavily contested, off-balance game winning three, the buzzer sounded—and the Bucks walked off the Suns home floor with a 96-94 victory.
“It wasn’t pretty, but the guys kept fighting,” Jason said after the victory. “We found a way to win. Khris’ name was called and he responded.”
The game was mostly an uphill battle for the Bucks, who didn’t lead or garner a tie until the fourth quarter. But after they did finally pull ahead with 3:23 remaining in the contest, a back and forth battle developed, and the final 42 seconds were particularly wild.
The Bucks led 88-87 going into the final minute until Gerald Green knocked down a go-ahead trey for Phoenix. But Dudley answered right back, canning a three from the right wing to put Milwaukee back in front with 28.9 seconds left.
Out of a timeout, the Suns executed quickly as Markieff Morris got a quick layup to make it 92-91 Phoenix. On the other end, Knight took charge, slashed through the lane and dropped in a tough floater to make it 93-92 Milwaukee with just seven seconds left.
However, Morris came through big yet again for the Suns when he connected on a jumper from the free-throw line to put the home team back up one with 3.5 seconds to go. After a timeout, it looked like Phoenix had foiled Coach Kidd’s inbound play.
Middleton inbounded to Dudley, who handed it right back at the top of the key. As he grabbed the ball from Dudley, Middleton was cut off, forcing him to spin back towards the sideline as he hurled up a shot that banked off the backboard and hung on the rim before dropping in as the lights that trim the glass burst into red.
“They cut me off and I tried to spin around to just get a good look at the rim,” Middleton said of the final play. “It was lucky; it just went off the glass. The craziest one went in but that’s how it is sometimes.”
That final sequence was more or less the story of the game for Milwaukee. Knight paced the Bucks with 20 points, but Middleton, Dudley and the rest of the reserves played an enormous role as well.
Middleton had 14, Zaza Pachulia had 13, Jerryd Bayless chipped in 11 and Dudley added another 10, all from the bench. Including another two from Kendall Marshall, the Milwaukee bench outscored Phoenix’s reserves 50-34.
The Bucks starters had a poor opening frame, which allowed for more opportunities for that reserve group later in the game. The starting five combined to go just 2-of-9 in the first quarter, and Phoenix jumped out to a 26-14 lead.
However, Coach Kidd’s group stayed the course. Knight, Middleton and Jabari Parker combined for 27 of Milwaukee’s 30 points in an explosive second frame. However, the Suns cashed in four times from beyond the arc to take a 53-44 lead into the break.
In the third, the Bucks just kept chipping their way back. All 10 Milwaukee players checked in during the frame, and teamed up to hold Phoenix to just 5-of-15 shooting, while outscoring the Suns by four. Bayless led the way with seven points in the frame and by the end of the third, the Bucks had cut the Suns’ lead to five.
O.J. Mayo, who finished with 12 points, got things going early in the fourth with a three. However, it was the play of Bayless and Pachulia that helped Milwaukee to take the lead for the first time all night.
The Bucks went on a 17-7 run midway through the quarter, and Bayless and Pachulia scored or assisted on 12 of those points, including two key dimes from Bayless to Pachulia.
As Coach Kidd noted after the game, the way Bayless created opportunities for himself and his teammates was a key to Milwaukee’s victory.
“I thought it showed his growth as a player,” J-Kidd said. “He was able to make a play for a teammate. Z loves to compete; he loves to do the little things, he’s the glue of our team and he displayed that.”
That spurt put the Bucks ahead 88-87 and set up the frantic finish.
After Green and Dudley traded triples, the quick bucket by Morris could have deflated Milwaukee. Instead, Knight showed his own growth as a player with patience to take some time off the clock and get a good look at a running jumper that he sank.
Another picture perfect play drawn up by Phoenix for Morris left the Bucks with mere seconds to execute a final play.
Though it didn’t show up in the box score, Giannis Antetokounmpo also played a key role in the comeback. The Greek Freak finished with just six points and eight boards, but his mere presence on the court helped to space floor and open room in the key moments of the night, particularly on the final play.
“We brought Giannis in to give us an opportunity to look at something else and also to clear out some room for whoever was going to get the ball,” Jason said. “Khris or Duds. This was a playground game. This was about what smalls are going to be able to make plays.”
In the end, Middleton didn’t have much space to get his shot off, but his prayer was answered and the Bucks left Phoenix with their 13th win of the season, just two shy of last year’s full season total although this season is just 25 games in.
PARKER SUFFERS SPRAIN
For the second straight game, six Bucks finished in double figures, and there would have almost assuredly been a seventh if it weren’t for the unfortunate injury to Jabari Parker. The star rookie had eight points through the first half but his left knee buckled awkwardly as he attacked the rim in transition during the third quarter.
In a scary moment for the Bucks, Parker was carried off the floor by teammates Zaza Pachulia and Johnny O’Bryant. The Bucks termed the injury a sprained left knee, and the No. 2 overall pick didn’t return to the game.
“As of right now we don’t know anything. They’ll do all the tests tomorrow and we’ll be able to report something then,” Jason revealed after the game.
NEXT UP
Coach Kidd’s Bucks (13-12) will have another tough Western Conference test on their hands Wednesday when they take on the Trailblazers (19-6) in Portland.
Wednesday’s game will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season.
The Blazers have won two straight and most recently topped the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs 108-95 Monday night. Portland currently sits 4th in the Western Conference standings.
They will present a unique challenge for the Milwaukee defense with two stars, LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, who have been extremely successful in spreading the floor and attacking their opponents.
Aldridge’s ability to face up, post up and shoot a 17-footer makes him a matchup nightmare while Lillard is one of the rising playmakers in the league at the point guard position. Their combination of skills, along with the sharpshooting of guard Wesley Matthews make matters difficult for any team.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT at the Moda Center in Portland and can be seen on Fox Sports Wisconsin.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Bucks at Suns: Game Book (NBA.com, Dec. 15, 2014)
- Bucks teammates show concern after Parker injures knee (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 16, 2014)
- Middleton’s late shot helps Bucks beat Suns (AP, Dec. 15, 2014)
- Bucks win thriller on Middleton’s three at the buzzer (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 15, 2014)
