Bucks Zone

3 key takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' win over the Utah Jazz

The Bucks took care of bussiness despite playing without two of their stars.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks returned to winning ways last night, beating the Utah Jazz 97-123 and improving to 21-8 on the season and 14-3 at home. It was an easy blow-by for the Bucks, despite playing without two of their stars. Here are three key takeaways from the game.

Bobby Buckets started off hot

The Bucks needed someone to step up, and it was Bobby Portis Jr. who responded to the call, bringing in another impressive performance. Bobby got inserted into the starting lineup and decided to make his impact on the game early, dropping 15 points in the first quarter.

In the end, Portis Jr. would notch his 17th double-double of the season, tying him for third in the entire NBA in that category by scoring 22 points with 14 rebounds on an effective 9-16 from the field. It was just another example of Bobby stepping up and proving he is the X-Factor of this Milwaukee team.

“I put a lot of work in and the game is starting to slow down for me,” Portis said after the game. “It's fun to see my development and cool to have teammates and coaches that trust me, for sure.”

The entire team stepped up

With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton both out with knee soreness, the Bucks needed the rest of the team to step and fill some big shoes. Luckily with the deep roster Milwaukee has at its disposal, that was no problem.

Aside from the before-mentioned Bobby Portis Jr., the Bucks had several key contributors. Jrue Holiday returned after a two-game absence and played the role of the leader to its perfection. The point guard scored 21 points with 8 assists and 4 rebounds, showing no rust from his illness.

Center Brook Lopez also helped out vastly, bringing in 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Grayson Allen chipped in with 13 points to round out a great performance from the starting lineup.

The best game of MarJon's young career

The entire bench played and contributed in their own way, but one guy that really stood out was rookie MarJon Beauchamp. The 6'7'' guard took advantage of his 19 minutes and scored 18 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 3PT) along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

MarJon has shown flashes of potential before, and this was a great showing for the Bucks rookie. If he manages to find some consistency, he could become a valuable part of Mike Budenholzer's rotation in the near future.

What's next

The Milwaukee Bucks are traveling to New Orleans to face Zion Williamson and the Pelicans next.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.