{"id":548182,"date":"2026-01-20T04:33:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T04:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/548182\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T04:33:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T04:33:14","slug":"bucks-vs-hawks-player-grades-kuzma-in-kpj-out-and-the-bucks-hold-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/548182\/","title":{"rendered":"Bucks vs. Hawks Player Grades: Kuzma in, KPJ out and the Bucks hold on"},"content":{"rendered":"

Something had to be done following the embarrassing losses the Milwaukee Bucks have piled up recently and Doc Rivers opted for wholesale changes, starting Kyle Kuzma in favour of Kevin Porter Jr. and handing Gary Trent Jr. a DNP-CD in favour of Pete Nance. The moves proved positive for the most part, the Bucks leading by as much 20 and holding on to win in the waning moments against the Atlanta Hawks. Read our full summary of the game here<\/a> and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes<\/a>, below.<\/p>\n

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Player GradesGiannis Antetokounmpo<\/p>\n

30 minutes, 21 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 7\/12 FG, 0\/1 3PT, 7\/12 FT, -8<\/p>\n

Giannis cleaned up the Hawks\u2019 errant shooting, collecting 17 rebounds, and did plenty of his usual stellar stuff too\u2014finishes at the rim, playmaking, and defensive stops. He also made some baffling decisions\u2014like dribbling into a turnaround-fadeaway with 16 seconds on the shot clock that gave the ball right back to the Hawks when they were up just one with less than two minutes to go in the fourth. He\u00a0also inexplicably pushed McCollum outside of the three-point line, sending him to the line where he\u2019d\u00a0make both to give the Hawks the lead.\u00a0Overall, Giannis looked good and mostly was, but there\u2019s a reason he finished with a plus\/minus of -8.<\/p>\n

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Grade: B\u2013<\/p>\n

Ryan Rollins<\/p>\n

29 minutes, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 6\/12 FG, 1\/4 3PT, 1\/2 FT, -5<\/p>\n

After struggling with his shot recently, Rollins was much more efficient tonight and had a solid game overall. He had arguably the most pivotal play of the night too\u2014stealing it from Jalen Johnson late in the fourth that led to a Giannis layup that gave the Bucks a four-point lead. He couldn\u2019t stay out of foul trouble, though, (5 PF) struggling with the crafty CJ McCollum.<\/p>\n

Grade: C+<\/p>\n

Myles Turner<\/p>\n

28 minutes, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 5\/10 FG, 4\/6 3PT, -7<\/p>\n

Turner had a nice box score night, putting up a near double-double and splashing the three ball. His three threes to start the third quarter were particularly helpful, combatting the Hawks who finally found their groove from beyond the arc. Once again, however, Turner failed to make any impression inside, making just 1\/4 shots in the paint and failing to record a block for the fourth game in a row. He really seems to be struggling to get any elevation lately and is playing too much like a shooting guard than a centre for my liking.<\/p>\n

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Grade: C+<\/p>\n

AJ Green<\/p>\n

42 minutes, 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 6\/12 FG, 6\/12 3PT, +14<\/p>\n

Green was just phenomenal, leading the team in plus\/minus and converting on six triples. But I\u2019m even more excited by the volume\u2014his 12 attempts tied his most for the season and were a reminder of what we thought his shot profile might look like heading into the season. He also looked solid on defence, holding his own throughout. Hey, maybe playing him at his natural shooting guard is a smart idea after all.<\/p>\n

Grade: A<\/p>\n

Kyle Kuzma<\/p>\n

31 minutes, 10 points, 1 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 blocks, 3\/9 FG, 1\/4 3PT, 3\/4 FT, -16<\/p>\n

The box score is not a kind one for Kuzma tonight and, honestly, it does him a disservice. While it would\u2019ve been nice to see him hit the boards a little more, Kuzma was quite solid overall, playing point-forward at times and playing with assertiveness. For some reason, he even controlled the ball down the stretch, running the pick and roll with Giannis, scoring seven points, and blocking a shot in the final 4:25 minutes. While he\u2019s not the ideal starting small forward, you can see the vision\u2014hopefully it\u2019s Michael Porter Jr. in this spot in the near future.<\/p>\n

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Grade: C<\/p>\n

Kevin Porter Jr.<\/p>\n

28 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2\/5 FG, +3<\/p>\n

Moving back to the bench, Porter was still a little loose with the rock at times (three turnovers) but gave the Bucks a little bit of everything and was generally positive overall. He again led the team in assists, dishing four of them in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line to go along with a tough and-one. If he can take the hit to his ego\u2014which it looks like he can\u2014Porter could find himself in a very important role as the leader of the Bucks\u2019 bench. Tonight was a sound start.<\/p>\n

Grade: C+<\/p>\n

Bobby Portis<\/p>\n

24 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 8\/15 FG, 3\/7 3PT, +6<\/p>\n

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Portis continued his strong season offensively, where he\u2019s leading the league in three-point percentage (48% coming into tonight\u2019s game), and his three-pointer with the Bucks down two and just 54.8 seconds on the game clock is a testament to his unwavering confidence from range. On another note, while he battled on the boards, tipping a lot them, it would be great to see him come down with more of these. You know what you\u2019re getting with BP and there\u2019s value in that, despite his defensive limitations.<\/p>\n

Grade: B-<\/p>\n

Gary Harris<\/p>\n

15 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 0\/1 FG, 0\/1 3PT, +10<\/p>\n

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Following the loss to the Spurs, I wrote that if Harris is \u201cplaying this much for the Bucks, then maybe it\u2019s time to start expecting more\u2014or give those minutes to someone who might be able to win you a game rather than just stabilise it.\u201d Tonight, he played stabiliser again, but with the Bucks finding quality minutes from Pete Nance at the expense of Gary Trent Jr., that role was perfect.<\/p>\n

Grade: B<\/p>\n

Pete Nance<\/p>\n

15 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2\/3 FG, 1\/1 3PT, +13<\/p>\n

Nance was the surprise beneficiary of Rivers\u2019 rotational adjustments tonight, playing his most minutes of the season. He was fantastic in these too, contributing all over the court and playing the game how it\u2019s supposed to be played\u2014with a combination of energy and smarts. His steal to layup in the fourth was huge to slow the Hawks\u2019 momentum and his three-pointer to put the Bucks back up by 14 should\u2019ve been the sealer. Nance has definitely earned another look and, if he can keep this up, could easily step into the front-court void any substantial Bucks trade would create.<\/p>\n

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Grade: A<\/p>\n

Doc Rivers<\/p>\n

Rivers\u2019 decision to make changes was overdue and he did the obvious, swapping out Porter for Kuzma that enabled Green to move to his natural position, while also giving the Bucks an injection off the bench\u2014Porter and Portis did play well off each other too. Rivers gets more credit for his decision to play Nance over Trent, which was largely unexpected and ended up a real positive for the Bucks\u2014Trent hasn\u2019t had a positive plus-minus in his last eight games (and is -255 on the season), while Nance was, arguably, a game-changer in this one. He still needs to go, but tonight Doc made the right calls.<\/p>\n

Grade: B<\/p>\n

DNP-CD: Gary Trent Jr., Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey, Andre Jackson Jr., Jericho Sims.<\/p>\n

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Inactive: Taurean Prince, Alex Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n

Bonus Bucks Bits<\/p>\n

Pete Nance received first-quarter minutes, checking in with 2:42 left to go. He looked active and had a nice interior assist to Portis.<\/p>\n

By the end of the first quarter, the Hawks had taken 29 shots compared to just 19 fort the Bucks, thanks largely to their work on the offensive glass\u2014they had plenty of opportunities, though, missing\u00a0all\u00a0of their 13 three-point attempts.<\/p>\n

After missing their\u00a016th\u00a0three in a row, Green hit a three on the other end to give the Bucks a 12-point lead. On their next possession, he hit 1\/2 to make it 15.<\/p>\n

A 29-6 run, gave the Bucks a 45-25 lead midway through the second. The Hawks immediately followed that by an 8-0 run of their own.<\/p>\n

With just 26 seconds left in the first half, CJ McCollum buried the Hawks\u2019 first three of the\u00a0game. You could see it coming too, with Giannis unwisely helping Green who\u2019d already forced Jalen Johnson to pick it up at the free throw line.<\/p>\n

The Hawks\u2019 38 first-half points were their lowest since December of 2021.<\/p>\n

The Bucks received at least two baffling offensive foul calls\u2014one on a KPJ drive in the first half and another on a Giannis one-legged fade in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

It was a three-point parade to start the third quarter, with the Bucks going 5\/6 and the Hawks finding their rhythm going 4\/5.<\/p>\n

Turnovers again proved costly for the Bucks. Their 11th\u00a0turnover (to just six for the Hawks) helped the Hawks cut it to 11 points with 2:24 left in the third. Another turnover by KPJ enabled the Hawks to cut it to single digits a minute later\u2014part of a 18-4 Hawks run. Then\u00a0another\u00a0turnover\u2014this one off an inbounds pass with just 12.5 seconds left\u2014led to three free throws to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and at the three-quarter siren it was an 8-point game.<\/p>\n

Alexander-Walker went on a tear in the fourth, his 14th\u00a0point of the quarter (29th\u00a0of the game) making it a one-point margin, 101-100.\u00a0Another three with just 12.6 seconds left again reduced the lead to just one.<\/p>\n

Up Next<\/p>\n

The Bucks have a day off before commencing a three-game homestand against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. You can find all the action on ESPN and FanDuel Sports Winsconsin\u2014tip off is at 8:30 p.m. Central.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Something had to be done following the embarrassing losses the Milwaukee Bucks have piled up recently and Doc…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":548183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3775],"tags":[2745,53974,4040,23797,208,7,507,103,406,2660,404,122,123,2990,2762,365,124,23683,562,102,121,3871,367,6,379,179,21490,2763,281,12289,361],"class_list":["post-548182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-milwaukee-bucks","tag-aj-green","tag-alex-antetokounmpo","tag-amir-coffey","tag-andre-jackson-jr","tag-atlanta-hawks","tag-basketball","tag-bobby-portis","tag-bucks","tag-cole-anthony","tag-doc-rivers","tag-gary-harris","tag-gary-trent-jr","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-jalen-johnson","tag-jericho-sims","tag-kevin-porter-jr","tag-kyle-kuzma","tag-mccollum","tag-michael-porter-jr","tag-milwaukee","tag-milwaukee-bucks","tag-milwaukeebucks","tag-myles-turner","tag-nba","tag-nickeil-alexander-walker","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-pete-nance","tag-ryan-rollins","tag-taurean-prince","tag-thanasis-antetokounmpo","tag-the-bucks"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=548182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/548183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=548182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=548182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=548182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}