Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 5 vs. Celtics
2. Need to support the stars
In the poor first half, the Celtics bench outscored the Bucks’ bench 15-7. For Game 5 of a first round series this is simply not enough production from the second unit. One of the biggest problems is that Jabari Parker had all seven points. Thon Maker, Matthew Dellavedova and Tony Snell did not score in the half.
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Snell was actually terrible all game, missing five open 3-point attempts and only collecting one steal and one rebound in 12 minutes of game time. He was also -12 on the night, by far the worst plus/minus on the team.
Matthew Dellavedova was also very down, committing as many turnovers in the first quarter as he has for the entire series with two. He also did not score a point but had one rebound, one assist and one steal. Likewise, Maker was quiet with only two points and two rebounds, though he still bought defensive energy.
Of the starters, Tyler Zeller did not score and Malcolm Brogdon had two points. However, Shabazz Muhammad came on in the third quarter and changed the game. His 11 points in four minutes bought the Bucks from 16 down to within four.
Antetokounmpo almost had a triple-double (just one assist shy) and Khris Middleton had another 20-point game scoring 23. These two cannot carry the rest of the team.
Eric Bledsoe scrapped his way to 16 points. However, the Milwaukee Bucks need the Bledsoe from the regular season. At the moment, he appears one step behind the play.