Game ID: 22301061
Milwaukee Bucks @ New Orleans Pelicans
Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 26 35 24 22 107MIL 25 20 28 27 100
MIL @ NOP ScoutingMIL @ NOP Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
NOP availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 16 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 3 since 3/15, returns tonight: 6 min (42% of 14)
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (30% of 17)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 25 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 3/22 · back-to-backOUT Daniels missed 17 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (32% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (38% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 18 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 2 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 19 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NEW Alvarado 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 3 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 20 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 2 since 3/24, returns tonight: 5 min (40% of 14)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 4 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 21 since 2/10, returns tonight: 11 min (50% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 5 min since (35% of 14)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/01 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 5 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 2 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 11 min since (50% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 6 min since (46% of 14)
NEW Jones 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 6 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 3 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 18 min since (84% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 6 min since (46% of 14)
NEW McCollum 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Williamson 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 7 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 4 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 19 min since (89% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 4 min since (31% of 14)
NEW McCollum 33 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 37 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 3/20 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 5 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 2 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 26 min since (91% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 20 min since (184% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/21 · back-to-backOUT Antetokounmpo missed 2 since 3/17, returns tonight: 35 min (99% of 35)
OUT Beauchamp missed 6 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 3 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 29 min since (103% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 17 min since (156% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/24 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 7 since 3/08, returns tonight: 4 min (35% of 12)
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 4 since 3/14, returns tonight: 4 min (35% of 10)
BACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 35 min since (99% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 29 min since (103% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 17 min since (150% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restBACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 34 min since (97% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 28 min since (101% of 28)
BACK Beauchamp back 3/24 after 7, 4 min since (35% of 12)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/24 after 4, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Green 11 to 16 min over the last 4
MIL availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restBACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 38 min since (109% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 31 min since (110% of 28)
BACK Beauchamp back 3/24 after 7, 4 min since (35% of 12)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/24 after 4, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Portis 25 to 30 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Beauchamp missed 2 since 3/26, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 2 since 3/26, out tonight
BACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 39 min since (109% of 35)
MIL availability going into 4/02 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 3 since 3/26, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 3 since 3/26, out tonight
BACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 38 min since (109% of 35)
NEW Middleton 28 to 34 min over the last 4
MIL availability going into 4/03 · back-to-backOUT Lillard missed 2 since 3/30, out tonight
OUT Beauchamp missed 4 since 3/26, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 4 since 3/26, returns tonight: 7 min (73% of 10)
MIL availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Lillard missed 3 since 3/30, returns tonight: 38 min (107% of 36)
OUT Beauchamp missed 5 since 3/26, out tonight
BACK Jackson Jr. back 4/03 after 4, 7 min since (73% of 10)
NEW Beasley 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Middleton 28 to 35 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 104, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Williamson at 23 and McCollum at 22 a game. Without Ingram (3 straight), Daniels (20 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 15 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 27 and Lillard at 26 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 104 a night to Milwaukee's 116 and the arc, Milwaukee at 41 percent from three to New Orleans's 36. Call it New Orleans 116, Milwaukee 113, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/21 @ ORL 106-121 — NOP notes
NOP lost 106-121. NOP shot 54% (42 of 78) to ORL's 55%, 6 of 20 from three. Murphy III led with 21 (6 of 10, 3 of 5 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Williamson added 20, McCollum 18. Q1 was theirs, 28-23, but the other 3 periods went 98-78 against them. They led by as many as 12. Nance Jr.'s -24 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/22 @ MIA 111-88 — NOP notes
NOP won 111-88. NOP shot 51% (42 of 82) to MIA's 36%, 18 of 36 from three. NOP turned it over 12 times to MIA's 4. The glass went 56-34 for them. McCollum led with 30 (12 of 21, 6 of 12 from three); Alvarado added 17, Murphy III 14. The hinge was Q4, 35-22: a lead of 10 became 23, and the lead reached 26. Alvarado was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
3/24 @ DET 114-101 — NOP notes
NOP won 114-101. NOP shot 51% (41 of 81) to DET's 41%, 11 of 34 from three. NOP turned it over 10 times to DET's 16. Williamson led with 36 (13 of 14, 10 of 14 at the line); McCollum added 23, Marshall 14. The hinge was Q1, 29-10: from level to 19 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Williamson was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/26 vs OKC 112-119 — NOP notes
NOP lost 112-119. NOP shot 45% (39 of 86) to OKC's 53%, 14 of 38 from three, and went to the line 23 times to OKC's 14 — 20 points from the stripe to their 12. Williamson led with 29 (10 of 17, 9 of 10 at the line); McCollum added 23, Murphy III 16. Q3 was theirs, 32-23, the deficit cut from 15 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 96-80 against them. Jones's -21 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/28 vs MIL 107-100 — NOP notes
NOP won 107-100. NOP shot 40% (36 of 91) to MIL's 46%, 8 of 32 from three, and went to the line 34 times to MIL's 19 — 27 points from the stripe to their 10. NOP turned it over 6 times to MIL's 14. Williamson led with 28 (9 of 15, 10 of 16 at the line); McCollum added 25, Valančiūnas 17. The hinge was Q2, 35-20: a lead of 1 became 16. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
3/30 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; McCollum at 24 and Williamson at 23 a game. Without Ingram (4 straight), Daniels (21 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 106 a night to Boston's 115. Call it New Orleans 115, Boston 114, Boston keeping it close.
4/01 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; McCollum at 25 and Williamson at 24 a game. Without Ingram (5 straight), Alvarado (2 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 15 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Durant at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 24 free throws a game to Phoenix's 15 and the arc, Phoenix at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 37. Call it New Orleans 113, Phoenix 109, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/03 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Williamson at 30 and McCollum at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Ingram (6 straight), Alvarado (3 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 100, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Banchero at 18 and F. Wagner at 16 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 13 times a game to New Orleans's 9 and the defense, Orlando allowing 100 a night to New Orleans's 110. Call it New Orleans 109, Orlando 107, Orlando keeping it close.
4/05 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Williamson at 25 and McCollum at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Ingram (7 straight), Alvarado (4 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 28 and Vassell at 27 a game. Without Johnson (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-1 a night and New Orleans minus-6 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 14 times a game to New Orleans's 9. Call it New Orleans 115, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
3/20 @ BOS 119-122 — MIL notes
MIL lost 119-122. MIL shot 54% (45 of 84) to BOS's 47%, 17 of 35 from three, and got to the line 14 times to BOS's 29. MIL turned it over 14 times to BOS's 9. Lillard led with 32 (11 of 21, 6 of 10 from three); Portis added 24, Middleton 22. Q4 was theirs, 36-21, the deficit cut from 18 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 101-83 against them. Beverley's -13 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/21 vs BKN 115-108 — MIL notes
MIL won 115-108. MIL shot 47% (43 of 91) to BKN's 45%, 16 of 41 from three. Lillard led with 30 (11 of 22, 5 of 11 from three); Antetokounmpo added 21, Lopez 17. The hinge was Q2, 34-25: a lead of 7 became 16, and the lead reached 20. Connaughton was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
3/24 vs OKC 118-93 — MIL notes
MIL won 118-93. MIL shot 53% (49 of 92) to OKC's 37%, 11 of 34 from three, and got to the line 14 times to OKC's 22. The glass went 57-37 for them. G. Antetokounmpo led with 30 (13 of 18, 4 of 6 at the line); Portis added 15, Lopez 14. The hinge was Q3, 34-17: a lead of 1 became 18, and the lead reached 26. Lillard was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/26 vs LAL 124-128 — MIL notes
MIL lost 124-128 in 2 overtimes. MIL took 11 more shots (119 to 108), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 41% to LAL's 39%, 15 of 51 from three, and got to the line 17 times to LAL's 32. Antetokounmpo led with 29 (14 of 25, 1 of 6 at the line); Lillard added 27, Beasley 21. Q1 was theirs, 32-16, but the other 5 periods went 112-92 against them. They led by as many as 19. Antetokounmpo's -13 in 46 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/28 @ NOP 100-107 — MIL notes
MIL lost 100-107. MIL shot 46% (38 of 82) to NOP's 40%, 14 of 39 from three, and got to the line 19 times to NOP's 34. MIL turned it over 14 times to NOP's 6, and NOP turned those into 11 steals. Antetokounmpo led with 35 (15 of 22, 5 of 11 at the line); Lillard added 20, Beasley 20. Q4 was theirs, 27-22, the deficit cut from 12 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 85-73 against them. Portis's -18 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/30 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Murray at 30 and Hunter at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Young (17 straight), Johnson (5 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Atlanta at 41 percent from three to Milwaukee's 36 and the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-5 a night and Milwaukee plus-1. Call it Atlanta 119, Milwaukee 116, Milwaukee keeping it close.
4/02 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 17 free throws a game; Poole at 22 and Avdija at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Jones (9 straight), Holmes (2 straight), Champagnie (3 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 30 and Lillard at 22 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Milwaukee 116, Washington 113, Washington keeping it close.
4/03 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 21 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 33 and Lillard at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Lillard (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 117, shooting 42 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 20 and LaRavia at 13 a game. Without Jemison III (3 straight), Williams (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Milwaukee has been plus-5 a night and Memphis minus-3. Call it Milwaukee 117, Memphis 109.
4/05 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 115, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 20 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 31 and Middleton at 16 a game. Without Lillard (3 straight). One day's rest. Toronto comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 127, shooting 45 percent and 29 from three, 16 free throws a game; Trent Jr. at 20 and Dick at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Trent Jr. (2 straight), Agbaji (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Milwaukee has been minus-1 a night and Toronto minus-10 and the defense, Milwaukee allowing 115 a night to Toronto's 127. Call it Milwaukee 121, Toronto 110, Milwaukee by 11.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPCM C. McCollum
HJ H. Jones
JH J. Hawkins
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
MR M. Ryan
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
MILAG A. Green
BL B. Lopez
BP B. Portis
DL D. Lillard
GA G. Antetokounmpo
JC J. Crowder
KM K. Middleton
MB M. Beasley
PB P. Beverley
PC P. Connaughton
NOP/MIL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Zion Williamson scores 28, closes out Pelicans' 107-100 win over the Bucks
NEW ORLEANS -- — Zion Williamson took a more assertive approach to the final minutes of a close game and it paid off for the New Orleans Pelicans .
Williamson capped a 28-point performance by hitting five of six free throws in the final three minutes and New Orleans held off the Milwaukee Bucks 107-100 on Thursday night.
“If we’re going to lose certain games, we at least want to do it the right way, knowing that we got the shots we wanted,” said Williamson, who did not attempt a shot in the final three minutes of New Orleans' 119-112 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.
“That was the emphasis tonight and we were able to get the win,” Williamson said.
The Pelicans led for most of the game and by as many as 18 in the first half. But when Damian Lillard hit a 3-pointer with just more than five minutes left, New Orleans’ lead was down to five — much like on Tuesday night, when the Pelicans lost a five-point lead in the last three minutes to the Thunder.
This time, Williamson continued to attack the basket and his accurate foul shooting in the clutch helped the Pelicans close it out.
CJ McCollum scored 25 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, giving him his 32nd double-double of the season, but just his first in 11 games. Trey Murphy III had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, who won despite going just 8 of 32 on 3-pointers and shooting just 39.6% (36 of 91) overall.
“Effort — that was really it,” Murphy said of his uptick in rebounding. “My dad was in the crowd and had a mad look on his face, so I tried to make him a little more happy by rebounding the ball.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points and 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, and Williamson, who had to guard him at times, marveled at the “Greek Freak's” relentlessness in the paint.
“Man, I thought I attacked the basket,” Williamson said, smiling and shaking his head in admiration of Antetokounmpo, who scored 20 straight Bucks points to close the third quarter. “He has a high motor. I've got to give him his respect on that, and he's always on the attack.”
Lillard scored 20 points for the Bucks, as did Malik Beasley , who hit six 3s.
Milwaukee lost its second straight after falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime in its previous game.
New Orleans outscored Milwaukee 52-44 in the paint and the Pelicans went 27 of 34 from on free throws. Milwaukee attempted 19 free throws, hitting 10.
“I just thought they played more physical. They were the more aggressive team,” Lillard said. “Usually the more aggressive team gets rewarded by the whistle. The game favors that team more. I think they had that going, the crowd got into it. They were able to get their hands on the ball, they chased offensive rebounds, they got extra opportunities. They just played a better game than us.”
New Orleans led 52-34 when McCollum converted a three-point play on a 7-foot runner as he was fouled, capping a 14-2 run.
Valanciunas and Herb Jones each hit 3s during the spurt, which began with McCollum's floater off the glass as he was fouled by Lillard.
Antetokounmpo scored 12 of his points in the opening half, including an alley-oop layup that made it made it 59-45 before Larry Nance Jr .'s floater at the horn gave New Orleans a 61-45 halftime lead.