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On a day where most Wisconsin sports fans were preoccupied with the disappointment that befell the Green Bay Packers, the Milwaukee Bucks won handily against the Atlanta Hawks, 129-115.
The game kicked off with a flurry of bricks for both teams, but Milwaukee broke open a decent lead about halfway through the opening quarter. Our first highlight wasn’t a rim-shattering dunk or an ankle-breaker dribble leading to a three...but the Bucks’ actually checking reserve wing Torrey Craig into the game. On purpose!
Torrey Craig entering for the Bucks.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 25, 2021
That is not a typo.
Craig must have been the Bucks’ secret sauce they’ve been lacking for these first fifteen games, because the first quarter was an absolute blowout, ending with a 32-15 advantage for Milwaukee, and it only got worse by halftime, with the Bucks holding a 66-47 lead and shooting 60% from the field. The second half saw things tighten up a fair amount but it never truly felt close. Sure, Trae Young, Clint Capela, and Bogdan Bogdanovic all missed the game, but it was simply a hefty Bucks lead much of the night.
The Hunter becomes the hunted.#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/FiklRGxqmg
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 25, 2021
Stat That Stood Out
It might have come off as a joke, but Torrey Craig entering the game in the first quarter was a legitimately pleasant surprise. Milwaukee had more downtime since their last contest due to the Wizards game getting postponed, but no one necessarily expected Thanasis Antetokounmpo to draw a DNP-CD in this contest while Craig got exposed to NBA rotation-level basketball as a Buck. To his credit, Torrey Craig played under control and even showed off some nifty passing on offense, and his presence as a defense-first wing might make the team a bit smaller but it also gives them a controlled dynamism on both sides of the ball that may be a trend worth watching going forward.
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