The Milwaukee Bucks, playing their second game in a row, defeated the Washington Wizards by a score 112-101 on Saturday evening. It was a nice win after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-101 on Friday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 33 points with 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals against the Cavaliers, did not play against the Wizards. He missed the injury due to right knee tendinopathy, which plagued him throughout the season.
Additionally, the Bucks played without eight-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, who also missed Friday’s game in Cleveland. He suffered a strained right calf during the Bucks’ victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup Finals.
Bobby Portis led the Milwaukee Bucks to victory over the Washington Wizards
Without Giannis and Lillard in the starting lineup, head coach Doc Rivers did Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins starts. Three-time All-Star Khris Middleton also made his first start this year.
As has been the case since arriving in Milwaukee, Portis did a great job leading the team when his best players were on the court. He scored 34 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight assists while shooting 14-21 from the floor (6-9 from three). Portis also had three blocks and one steal.
Middleton played 24 minutes and scored a season-high 18 points, shooting 7-14 from the floor (4-6 from three). This was the first game of the season in which he scored more than one three-point attempt.
Middleton also had eight rebounds and six assists.
Rollins and Brook Lopez each scored 14 points, and Gary Trent Jr. added 15 points off the bench.
Milwaukee native Jordan Poole led the Wizards with 26 points, with most of his damage coming in the first quarter.
Milwaukee Bucks fans still want Bobby Portis traded
There was a time when Bucks fans adored Portis, especially after Milwaukee won its first NBA championship in 50 years in 2021. He also served as an excellent replacement for Lopez in the 2021–2022 season when the star center was sidelined for most of the year following back surgery. This season, Portis averaged 14.9 points and 9.1 rebounds as the Bucks’ starting center.
However, in recent seasons, and especially this year, fans have expressed frustration with his apparent lack of effort on defense and tendency to shoot too quickly on offense.
Many of these fans hope that NBA teams will see Portis’ performance against the Wizards and will be willing to trade for him:
Bobby Portis against lottery teams as the Bucks play back-to-back. pic.twitter.com/WYzd9wtuLS
— Dan Shafer (@DanRShafer) December 22, 2024
Bobby improved his scoring at times when needed, and that’s to his credit. I just hope people don’t fall for these counterfeit games. It has been shown that when he is vigorous and playing against good teams, he performs really poorly. Use these appearances to assist replace it
— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) December 22, 2024
I would still trade Bobby Portis, don’t get me wrong, but he gives the Bucks what they need tonight against the Washington Wizards. Both things are true. https://t.co/xdhpksQBRq
— Ti Windisch (@TiWindisch) December 22, 2024
I hope the entire league is watching Bobby Portis play. This is a player that other teams could employ and could provide a win-win for the Bucks.
— Aitor Darias (@aitor_darias) December 22, 2024
Another counterfeit game for Portis against a garbage team in the regular season, but Bucks fans will start saying again that Bobby can’t be traded. Just Hope Horst will trade him for a good defender because now he gets a good price
— 🦚☀️🙏🏼 (@ruslanamvp) December 22, 2024
BOBBY PORTIS TRADING VALUE IS INCREASING A LOT LFGGG 🚀 📈
— drenny🦌 (@giannis_x34) December 22, 2024
While fans may be frustrated with Portis at times, it’s worth mentioning that his teammates love him, as do his coaches. After all, there’s a reason the Bucks decided to extend him a few years ago. What’s more, he’s a perennial candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, having finished third in the voting in each of the last two seasons.
Of course, the Bucks could still move him if they want to improve their defense off the bench. However, their options are constrained in what they can get back in a deal because they are in the second tier of the NBA’s luxury tax.
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