Bucks Stay Perfect in NBA Cup Play Behind Giannis’s 41 Points and Improved Defense
Milwaukee Bucks dominate Chicago Bulls in NBA Cup action behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 41-point masterpiece. Can Doc Rivers’ rotation changes unlock championship potential?
Justin Garcia and Frank Madden break down the Bucks’ crucial victory, analyzing Giannis’s relentless performance despite questionable officiating and his struggles finishing through contact at the rim. The discussion covers Doc Rivers’ strategic decision to stagger Giannis and Myles Turner’s minutes for the first time this season, addressing persistent bench unit struggles. Key topics include Milwaukee’s defensive rebounding improvements, Kyle Kuzma’s ego-less play and defensive impact, and Ryan Rollins’ emergence as a consistent two-way threat with his third 20-point game.
The hosts examine Turner’s breakout performance with 23 points and 4 steals, the team’s improved physicality limiting Chicago’s offensive rebounds, and how the Bucks maintained their perfect 9-0 NBA Cup group play record. They preview Sunday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets’ top-ranked offense featuring Alperen Şengün and elite wing defenders.
Discover how Milwaukee’s tactical adjustments could reshape their playoff trajectory.
0:00 Intro
1:09 Giannis dominates despite missing shots
3:44 Officiating frustrations and physical play
7:41 Central Division’s surprising strength
10:14 Defensive adjustments and lineup changes
13:25 Staggering Giannis and Myles Turner
17:24 Myles Turner’s best game as Buck
27:36 Taurean Prince injury concerns
31:03 Ryan Rollins’ consistent two-way impact
35:42 Rollins’ steady season performance
37:36 Preview: Houston Rockets matchup ahead
41:36 NBA Cup significance and celebration
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20 Comments
Very good game for the BUCKS and Giannis
Well done Milwaukee Bucks
Well done Giannis
We love you
Greetings from Greece
Always very good analysis Justin and Frank
Be well
Bucks look better with bigger lineup. Green still a huge defensive liability again. Portis looked good, Turner finally had a good game on offense.
From tonight one pf Giannis and myles has to be on the court. The issue with some of the second unit line ups that were out there in previous games was Bobby at the 5 with kuzma at the 4 and hence which were horrible defensively. A lot of arrows against Bobby defensively but a big part is the lineups that Doc had him in. Bobby cannot anchor the defence if he is the only big on the floor.
Green to the 2nd unit
Frank, I guarantee you’ll be frustrated with the non foul calls when it eventually ends up in an injury to our franchise guy.
We gotta give major props to Kuz. Hes busting his ass out there on defense, and contributing much needed transition buckets while pushing the pace. We gonna need Kuz and Sims to be BIG on Sunday vs Houston. Go Bucks!
No prince no Coffey play sims and Jackson full court press all game
We needed this win for momentum. I am happy with the performance. Back to back with the rockets incoming 😮
Guys, I love BP with the squad but has anyone ever charted how many layups are scored on him? It’s pretty bad no effort defense.
Giannis "struggled" with 41p,,😂😂
I hope he struggles like that in every game 😂
I think Rollins is overrated with Justin and Frank's take —Bucks's offense was awful until Cole Anthony came in. Cole is a real PG who knows how to run the offense.also with 12 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, Rollins tried a layup way too early and got blocked, and Josh Giddey answered with a layup on the other end with 1.2 sec left— that's the worst scenario to finish a quarter
Y'all are trashing NBA Cup but that's how some of those role players made big money. Who's gonna give you 500,000 dollars? I can't believe y'all are making fun of NBA Cup.
We have in my opinion the best small ball lineup in the league. We just have to lock in.
Upvote this comment if you think Frank needs to get a real microphone.
Always good to get a win over the Giddler.
At the moment Giannis is 1st in rebounds together with Joker (12.9) and marginally 2nd in point per game (33.4) behind Maxey (33.5).
Was there any time where a player was 1st on both categories or at least top 2?
He is also first on PER (38.7). Jokic is 2nd with 35.
Rollins has to be closer to that aggressive monster we saw against warriors he is that dude
Cup kings but can’t beat the actual kings what a shame
Bobby Portis is the guy to move (along with a pick) to get a SF/Wing who can defend and make a couple of threes. That's the archetype that will help with lineup versatility and raise the team's ceiling. Especially if Kuzma continues to play within himself moving the ball, pushing the pace and defending at an above-average level.