Bucks

Seemingly out of nowhere, a scuffle broke out near midcourt as players from both teams, along with the referees, tried to separate the players in the middle of ...

Giannis was far too much for the Kings to handle as he went off for 46 points and 12 rebounds. The involvement of players on both teams, in terms of preventing things from escalating, could have been the reason we didn’t get to the point of punches being thrown. Domantas Sabonis was in the thick of things trying to de-escalate the situation. Lopez got in the face of Lyles following an unnecessary but relatively innocent foul in which Lyles reached in on Giannis Antetokounmpo. Both teams are looking to maintain their hot play when the playoffs roll around and it is a lot easier to keep a rhythm going without any suspensions or lingering tension. With the help of replay review, we got a much better idea as to what happened.

Giannis Antetokounmpo marked his return from a three-game absence with a solid performance and helped the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Sacramento Kings.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 46 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks used a 14-5 run late in the fourth quarter to defeat the host ...

Bane had 23 points, seven assists and eight rebounds, while Roddy managed 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 3-of-5 success from beyond the 3-point arc. Jimmy Butler amassed 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Heat. Anderson had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for his second triple-double of the season. Domantas Sabonis recorded 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists for the Kings but was held to 3-of-11 shooting in the second half. Reserve Jordan Nwora had 20 points to lead the Pacers, who had won three of their previous four games. Milwaukee's Brook Lopez added 23 points and eight rebounds before an ejection in the closing seconds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from injury with a vengeance on Monday, scoring 46 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a come-from-behind 133-124 victory ...

"You've got to take the shots you have when you're open," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin combined for 21 off the bench. Lauri Markkanen led Utah's scoring with 38 points but Miami showed the greater composure at key points in a game where the lead changed hands 17 times. Steph Curry finished with 23 points and Jordan Poole 20 for the Warriors, who improved to 36-33 and are fifth in the Western Conference standings. Antetokounmpo finished with 12 rebounds and four assists in addition to his 46 points as the Bucks found their scoring touch in the third and fourth quarters to pile up 80 second-half points. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from injury with a vengeance on Monday, scoring 46 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a come-from-behind 133-124 victory over the in-form Sacramento Kings.

Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez and Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles jumped into a heated melee after Lyles shoved Giannis Antetokounmpo in the final ...

Lyles totaled six points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Kings (40-27) will battle the Chicago Bulls (31-36) at 8 p.m. Kings center Domantas Sabonis totaled 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists. Lopez logged 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 46 points, with 12 rebounds and four assists in the win. Lopez then walked into the area and went chest-to-chest with Lyles.

The Milwaukee Bucks have an incredibly deep roster that is primarily full of experienced veterans. General Manager Jon Horst and the rest of the front ...

In fact, there are a few players who could potentially be secret weapons for this team down the line in the sense that they could come up huge in certain situations. Ingles will play in high-leverage situations, and if he can replicate what he has been doing this month, the veteran could make a major difference. Players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday will continue to get the most praise mightily and will be the determining factor in this team’s success, but there are several role players who will also be important.

The Milwaukee Bucks are signing Meyers Leonard for the rest of the season after the 7-footer's second 10-day contract expired on Monday, sources told ESPN.

Meyers was suspended one week by the league and fined $50,000. "There are absolutely no excuses for what happened that day," Leonard told OTL. Leonard, 31, has played sparingly for the Bucks thus far, appearing in just five games and averaging less than seven minutes per contest.

Leonard has been with the Bucks since signing the first of two 10-day contracts with the team last month.

Earlier in the year, the Bucks tried that role with veteran center Serge Ibaka and he was not pleased with his usage. Leonard was suspended for one week and fined $50,000 in March 2021 after using an anti-Semitic slur on a live stream. ESPN first reported the news. - Leonard has been with the Bucks since signing the first of two 10-day contracts with the team last month. Here’s what you need to know: [Milwaukee Bucks](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/bucks/) are signing center [Meyers Leonard](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/meyers-leonard-G6tEUsvFiYHIJqHB/) to a contract for the remainder of the season, league sources confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday.

Scoring two wins in two nights will be the goal when the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Phoenix Suns.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Milwaukee Bucks are signing Meyers Leonard for the rest of the season.

SportsLine's model just revealed its NBA picks for Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns.

Bucks 10,000 times and the results are in. [Golden State Warriors](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/GS/golden-state-warriors/) on Monday was not particularly close, with the Suns falling 123-112. The model has simulated Suns vs. Bucks](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/game-forecast/NBA_20230314_MIL@PHO/). Suns picks, [you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/suns-vs-bucks-odds-line-spread-proven-model-reveals-nba-picks-predictions-for-march-14-2023/#ttag=03142023_agg_cbssports_picks_basketball_nba_model_sunsbucksauto). However, Milwaukee has been resting him in the second game of back-to-backs because of his injury struggles this year and his status is questionable. Booker has been seemingly unconscious over his last six games, shooting at least 50% from the floor in every contest. You can head to SportsLine to [see its picks](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/suns-vs-bucks-odds-line-spread-proven-model-reveals-nba-picks-predictions-for-march-14-2023/#ttag=03142023_agg_cbssports_picks_basketball_nba_model_sunsbucksauto). The model enters Week 22 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 64-33 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,700. Now both teams have title aspirations once again, with Milwaukee sitting atop the East while Phoenix is fourth in the West. Phoenix is 37-31 overall and 22-11 at home, while the Bucks are 49-19 overall and 21-13 on the road. ET on Tuesday at the Footprint Center.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is not on the injury report for the Milwaukee Bucks' Tuesday night matchup against the Suns.

[nowhere to be found](https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2023-03-14_04PM.pdf) on the team’s official injury report. He will be joining Grayson Allen and Goran Dragic on the sidelines. They’re playing on the second night of a back-to-back set on Tuesday, this time facing off against a [Phoenix Suns](/nba/phoenix-suns) side that continues to be without superstar forward Kevin Durant.

The Bucks enjoyed a big win over the Kings last night, while the Suns got pummeled early by the Warriors.

To unlock him, the Suns need to get the offense moving more when Payne has the ball. He’s appeared in 10 games since being activated by the Bucks on 2/24 and here’s his stats: Remember way back in the first couple months of the season when he even started for a few weeks as the Suns posted a 16-7 record (largely) without Chris Paul? He doesn’t run a good offense anymore — he dribbles outside the three-point arc, scans the defense, and either makes a weak pass into the post or drives left for a floater against a sagging defense that wants him to take floaters. He makes one of two decisions: the floater or a wild interior pass to his big man among multiple defenders in the paint. Yes, the Suns need Kevin Durant back first and foremost. The worst-case scenarios are playing out too often: Ross or Lee getting worked on one end, only to have Craig/Ish clank a three on the other. That win was part of a club record 16 straight wins, even while Giannis played less than 10 minutes in three of them (including the win over the Suns). But it sure would help to get the good Cam Payne back. The Bucks did their thing, absorbing an early 15-point deficit and storming back for a decisive win in the final minutes. If the Suns are going to survive this non-KD stretch, they will need the weak side wide three point shooters to make the normal 35+%. Suns opponents are giving uncontested shots to guys like Chris Paul, Josh Okogie, Torrey Craig and Ish Wainright.

Lyles went at the neck of Lopez, who didn't appreciate Giannis Antetokounmpo being shoved.

[NBA](/nba/) fight standards, certainly appeared ready to rumble. Sacramento's [Trey Lyles](/nba/players/2152530/trey-lyles/) on Monday night. [Brook Lopez](/nba/players/1622544/brook-lopez/) vs.

Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-best 31.5 points per game in 53 games this season to go along with 11.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night while playing at ...

[conversation](https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2023/03/13/giannis-antetokounmpo-for-mvp-brook-lopez-for-dpoy-bobby-portis-sixth-man-bucks-award-winners/69996460007/)with Owczarski, Horst also made cases for [Bobby Portis](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/portibo01.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&utm_campaign=2023-03-14_bbr)as the Sixth Man of the Year and [Brook Lopez](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lopezbr01.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&utm_campaign=2023-03-14_bbr)as the Defensive Player of the Year. Spears of ESPN](https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1635498437616566274)writes, Kings forward [Trey Lyles](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lylestr01.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&utm_campaign=2023-03-14_bbr)took exception to Giannis dribbling the ball toward him while running out the clock and tried to steal it before shoving Antetokounmpo, resulting in a brief on-court skirmish between the two teams ( [Twitter video link](https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1635498437616566274)via Bleacher Report). “Giannis could just dribble the ball out,” Kings guard [De’Aaron Fox](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/foxde01.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&utm_campaign=2023-03-14_bbr)said after the game. “That’s all he had to do, and nothing would have happened.” [Retweet](http://twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hoopsrumors.com%2F2023%2F03%2Fbucks-notes-giannis-lopez-portis-kings-skirmish.html&text=Bucks+Notes%3A+Giannis%2C+Lopez%2C+Portis%2C+Kings+Skirmish)4 [Share](#)0 [Send via email](#)0 Edwards has Lopez first and Antetokounmpo second in his DPOY rankings, while Aldridge placed Lopez and Giannis second and third and Robbins had Lopez and Holiday as his two runners-up (both Aldridge and Robbins made Grizzlies big man [Jaren Jackson Jr.](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jacksja02.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&utm_campaign=2023-03-14_bbr)their current DPOY pick). It’s incredible.” [A panel of writers at The Athletic](https://theathletic.com/4304598/2023/03/14/nba-defensive-player-of-the-year/)– David Aldridge, James L. [Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel](https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2023/03/13/giannis-antetokounmpo-for-mvp-brook-lopez-for-dpoy-bobby-portis-sixth-man-bucks-award-winners/69996460007/), Horst expressed a belief that Antetokounmpo is suffering from “greatness fatigue,” with voters getting accustomed to the eye-popping numbers that the star forward is putting up. Give the guy 36, 37, 38 minutes a game, there’s not even a conversation. That’s a sacrifice,” Horst said of Giannis, who is averaging just 32.5 minutes per contest. That’s something that he does so he’s ready to perform at the biggest moments. Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-best 31.5 points per game in 53 games this season to go along with 11.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night while playing at an All-Defensive level. “That’s not an easy thing.

Other players and coaches had to separate Sacramento's Trey Lyles and Milwaukee's Brook Lopez following a late-game foul on the star.

The Milwaukee Bucks signed center Meyers Leonard for rest of season to back up Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.

I can be physical in the playoffs. And sometimes we shift down and go other directions and so the guy may not play a ton, but the value is very real, very important to us. "I can play in drop coverage on the defensive end. "We feel he can help us in a playoff series, playoff games. On the other end I can set big screens to get these guys open and I space the floor. The Bucks signed the 31-year-old center to a standard contract for the rest of this season officially on Tuesday before the game against the Suns. “That’s always been a little bit of a spot; we gotta try and find that true backup five that brings some of the things that Brook brings and the size and shot-blocking and still be able to make threes," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. According to a league source, Meyers' minimum salary will cost the Bucks roughly $1.2 million due to their placement in the luxury tax. But by the afternoon, the answer was that Leonard was not only going to finish out the road trip, but the regular season and playoffs. I always try to stop after every game in Milwaukee, sign every autograph, take pictures, because that’s who I am. This is going to be hard for me not to get emotional right now. 22, just after the all-star break when Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status was uncertain with a sprained right wrist.

Milwaukee @ Phoenix. Current Records: Milwaukee 49-19; Phoenix 37-31. What to Know. The Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks will face off at 10 p.m. ET ...

- Feb 10, 2021 - Phoenix 125 vs. - Jul 06, 2021 - Phoenix 118 vs. - Jul 08, 2021 - Phoenix 118 vs. - Jul 11, 2021 - Milwaukee 120 vs. - Jul 14, 2021 - Milwaukee 109 vs. The Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks will face off at 10 p.m. - Jul 20, 2021 - Milwaukee 105 vs. - Jul 17, 2021 - Milwaukee 123 vs. Despite the loss, Phoenix had strong showings from shooting guard Regional restrictions may apply.) Two defensive stats to keep an eye on: The Suns rank fourth in the league when it comes to points allowed per game, with only 111.3 on average. Phoenix is out to stop an 11-game streak of losses at home.

Mar 7, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Meyers Leonard (3) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center.

But now, Leonard has found a new home and will get a chance to win his first ring with the league-leading Bucks. But Leonard is shooting 44.4 percent from three with Milwaukee and is a big body who can continue to serve as emergency depth behind Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis. Leonard just finished his second 10-day contract with Milwaukee and will now be remaining with them through the playoffs, Wojnarowski adds.

The Bucks are the first team to 50 wins this season, improving to 50-19 overall. This marks Milwaukee's seventh consecutive postseason berth. Giannis ...

[NBA Power Rankings: Kings rise, Knicks drop, plus lineup analysis for all 30 teams](https://theathletic.com/4279222/2023/03/13/nba-power-rankings-week-21-2/) [Who leads the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year race? In the five seasons during which Milwaukee achieved the feat, the team only claimed one Here’s what you need to know:

PHOENIX — (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points, Brook Lopez added 21 and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks clinched a playoff spot by beating the ...

He hit a 3-pointer with 1:23 left that gave the Bucks a 13-point lead. He laid on the floor for a few seconds before finding his tooth on the ground, which he picked up and took to the bench. ... Signed C Meyers Leonard to a contract for the remainder of the season. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 20 points while Booker and Ayton both had 10 for the Suns. ... F Jae Crowder returned to Phoenix for the first time since being included in the trade that brought Kevin Durant to the Suns. Cam Payne hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Suns up 90-87, which was their first lead of the second half. “Making the playoffs in this league is hard. The Bucks have won 21 of their past 23 games in an impressive two-month run. The Suns have dropped three straight. But the Bucks made it look easy. The Bucks led 57-48 at halftime. We are in a good place right now.

PHOENIX – The Milwaukee Bucks continued their march to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference as they won for the fifth time in six games with a 116-104 ...

Playing one of the best offense in the league the night before, one of the fastest teams in the NBA that you have to sit down and guard and you have to move your feet. Or are we going to try and fight for it and put ourselves in position to win the game? He became the 115th player in NBA history to reach that plateau. He helped pull the Suns back from 14 points down early in the quarter to just a 85-84 deficit heading into the fourth. Are we going to go out there and try to fold and give up the game because we are tired and we're a little bit sore? Suns head coach Monty Williams said it has become a focus for his team the last two years, and before the game he said it was an important part of what they need to do offensively. It kickstarted an 8-0 run, which allowed the Bucks to final put the Suns away. It was the fifth set of back-to-back games he’s played, and the Bucks are 10-0 in those games. (He has missed one or both games of four others, and the Bucks are 3-1 in the second game of those sets). I'm happy that we're able to win and be the first team to clinch the playoffs." It's really good for us to lose a game, to be down 10, come back to the game, be up 10, they came back and we kept our composure and win the game by 10. PHOENIX – The Milwaukee Bucks continued their march to the No.

Leonard played in 5 games with the Bucks this season while on two 10-day contracts.

Meyers stays on with Milwaukee for the rest of the season. The 7-foot center has now appeared in 452 games with Portland, Miami and Milwaukee in his NBA career and holds averages of 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game. The Milwaukee Bucks have signed center Meyers Leonard to a contract for the remainder of the season.

Former Suns Jae Crowder and Jevon Carter combined for 6-9 on threes, almost matching the Suns total output on threes as a team (8-23). That's a two-game total ...

Ingles made a three, and the Bucks were up 108-101... The Bucks went on a 8-0 run as Ayton had some trouble getting back into the game — missed jumper, turnover, stripped on offensive rebound. They just didn’t have a juice in this one, and the Bucks fed off that. Next time down, Payne got one of his rocket passes caught, by Landale, and the Suns were up 3 again. And Booker had nothing in this game either — was a shadow of what we’ve seen the past two weeks. Somehow the Suns pulled back to 73-67 anyway, thanks to Devin Booker going on a personal run (13 points in the quarter so far). Cam Payne and crew came in with the game at 21-20 Bucks and it didn’t matter that Booker was out there because the Bucks just completely focused on stopping Book and it worked. The Bucks start the second quarter with three starters including Giannis while the Suns come out with... The Suns just weren’t in this game mentally though. Former Suns Jae Crowder and Jevon Carter combined for 6-9 on threes, almost matching the Suns total output on threes as a team (8-23). Jae Crowder checked into the game with 5:23 left in the quarter, 16-14 Bucks lead. well, Ayton has accounted for 6 of the Suns 8 points so far.

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns to hit the 50-win mark and lock up a spot in the NBA playoffs.

The Suns dropped to 37-32. They remain three games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the loss column with a 50-19 record. PHOENIX – The Milwaukee Bucks continued their march to the No.