LAC 127, MIL 113: Gary Trent Jr. Drops 36 Points
Sarah Kowalski
Orthopedic Nurse ยท Milwaukee Bucks fan
Gary Trent Jr. Just Reminded Us Why He's a Sleeper, But the Bucks Got Cooked
Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. The Clippers walked into Milwaukee and beat us 127-113, and it stung. I'm a Bucks fan through and through, but I've also been in the medical field long enough to know when to admit something's wrong. We need to talk about what happened last night, because it matters for your fantasy playoffs.
The good news? Gary Trent Jr. showed up like he was playing 2K on rookie difficulty. The bad news? We got dominated, and it exposed some real problems.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Trent Jr. | 55.0 | 45.4 | 36/2/4 | 8.2/1.0/1.2 | +27.8 |
| Taurean Prince | 48.0 | 41.2 | 18/6/8 | 7.0/2.5/1.4 | +11.0 |
| Brook Lopez | 41.0 | 35.9 | 8/7/1 | 8.1/3.3/1.3 | -0.1 |
| Darius Garland | 41.0 | 34.9 | 15/2/11 | 19.1/2.4/6.9 | -4.1 |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 32.0 | 32.7 | 28/6/1 | 18.8/5.6/2.3 | +9.2 |
| John Collins | 37.0 | 32.1 | 22/3/3 | 13.5/5.2/1.0 | +8.5 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 34.0 | 31.6 | 20/8/2 | 28.2/6.3/3.6 | -8.2 |
| AJ Green | 34.0 | 29.1 | 15/3/3 | 9.6/2.5/1.9 | +5.4 |
| Derrick Jones Jr. | 31.0 | 25.8 | 13/4/0 | 10.7/3.3/1.4 | +2.3 |
| Kris Dunn | 31.0 | 23.9 | 10/2/5 | 7.5/3.3/3.6 | +2.5 |
Gary Trent Jr. Had His Best Night of the Season. Is This Real?
Gary Trent Jr. went absolutely nuclear: 36 points on 12-for-21 shooting with 9 threes in 37 minutes. That's 45.4 Yahoo points, which is 27.8 points above his season average. This wasn't some fluky hot night either, he was efficient. 9-for-14 from deep and didn't force it.
Real talk though, I need to pump the brakes here. Gary's been dropping 8.2 points per game all season. One monster game doesn't fix that. He took 21 shots last night, and the Clippers' defense was honestly not great down the stretch. This is the kind of performance that gets overvalued. Don't trade your first-round pick for him because of one night.
That said, in 12-team leagues, Gary Trent Jr. just made himself relevant. If he's available in your league, grab him. But don't expect 36 points every game. Expect more like 15-18 moving forward if he keeps getting this volume.
Taurean Prince and AJ Green Carried the Load
Taurean Prince posted 18/6/8 with four threes, and AJ Green went for 15/3/3 with five made free throws. Both guys exceeded their season averages and played meaningful minutes (38 and 28 respectively). These are your glue guys off the bench, and they were actually the ones trying to keep us in the game.
Prince's assist total especially jumped out to me. He's averaging 1.4 assists per game, and he had 8 last night. That's not just variance, that's playing in flow. If the Bucks are smart, they keep him involved because at least he was moving the ball around.
AJ Green is the more interesting play for waiver purposes. He went 5-for-5 from free throw line and shot efficiently from the field. He's only owned in about 70 percent of leagues, which is criminal for a guy who put up nearly 30 fantasy points last night.
The Clippers Got What They Needed
Bennedict Mathurin shot like he couldn't miss, going 7-for-10 with 13-for-14 free throws. That's 28 points in 27 minutes, good for 32.7 Yahoo points. He was up 9.2 from his season average. Darius Garland didn't put up huge scoring numbers (15 points), but his 11 assists on 26 minutes were the real story, a +4.1 from his assist average.
Here's the thing about Darius Garland: that's a usage game right there. The Clippers needed him to run the offense, and he did. That's not going to happen every night, but it's worth noting if you have him. In a playoff matchup where you need assists, he could be valuable.
John Collins was a force on the glass and in the scoring column, 22/3/3, and Kawhi Leonard still found his 20 points despite being limited to 22 minutes. If Kawhi played more, that game gets blown open even faster.
Where the Bucks Got Exposed
Look, I have to say it. Giannis not playing changes everything. That's your MVP (All-NBA First Team), and we don't get the full picture without him. The roster around Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince clearly wasn't enough to hold the line.
What bothered me more was Brook Lopez going 2-for-3 in 25 minutes. For a center, that's not enough volume. He had 4 steals though, which tells me he was in the right places defensively, just couldn't generate offense. He met his scoring average despite limited touches.
Andre Jackson Jr. (13/6/0 in 33 minutes) tried to do something, but this was a night where role players had to step up and they came up short overall.
Bottom Line for Your Lineup
If you're in playoff matchups this week, the Bucks might not be as reliable as they looked earlier in the season. The loss of Giannis for any stretch is killer, and role players stepping up doesn't cut it against solid teams like the Clippers.
Gary Trent Jr. is a add in 12-team leagues off waivers, but manage expectations. AJ Green is a sneaky grab if he's still available. Taurean Prince stays valuable in deeper leagues.
On the Clippers side, Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin proved they can put teams on their backs. Kawhi Leonard remains what he's always been, a first-round talent who needs volume to really hurt you.
Next time the Bucks play without their best player, I'm expecting more answers. One hot shooting night from a role player isn't a blueprint for competing.