Recap/Box Score/Enemy
Wednesday night wasn’t the first time the Milwaukee Bucks needed Earl Boykins to jump-start a stalling offense. Perhaps you remember Los Angeles. Or Sacramento. Or a home games against Dallas and Atlanta. You get the picture. It wasn’t Boykins first shot-making rodeo.
And it probably won’t be his last, or the last one the Bucks require of him. Making shots has kind of been Boykins role this season; come in when the Bucks first or second units have dug a hole and missed shots and keep the team afloat. For a team that’s largely been devoid of a consistent offensive presence, his dependability has been rather comforting.
Milwaukee needed a big dose of little Earl early on Wednesday. The Bucks were down 25-18 when Boykins made his first three-pointer of the night with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter. By the time he scored the last of his 18 first half points, the Bucks had firmly taken control of things with a 62-49 lead. During his 12 minutes, Milwaukee’s guard made all eight of his shots and was was the driving force behind an offense that shot 60.5% in the first half.
Coach Scott Skiles was not so surprised after the game, as he rarely is when a guy who he dubbed the Bucks best shooter scores well. He thought back to when Boykins was signed when the summer was nearing an end.
“We talked about it with Earl, and we talked about it internally,” Skiles said after Wednesday’s game. “could Earl be a guy that could come in and help us win five, six, seven games? And that, no question, has already happened.”
Milwaukee wouldn’t require quite so much out of their pocket-sized point-getter in the second half, after all, it was the Cleveland Cavaliers in town.
Brandon Jennings picked up the offensive slack (14 of his 18 points came in the second half. He made seven of 10 shots, so it’s worth noting now: back-to-back games of equal to or greater than 50% shooting for Jennings. Eyes open, people.) and the Bucks defense did their usual thing against a Cavs offense that did their usual thing. The second half saw the Bucks split evenly the ball amongst a number of prospering offensive players, something that hasn’t been seen often in Milwaukee, or anywhere else the Bucks have played this season.
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