The New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks entered Sunday night’s game at the Smoothie King Center without their stars, but both teams showed up and competed in an important game for the Bucks. Milwaukee made enough plays to pull away late and secure a 111-107 victory.
The Bucks turned to their reserves, with Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting out and Damian Lillard, Bobby Portis, and Pat Connaughton unavailable. Gary Trent Jr. led Milwaukee with a season-high 29 points, while Kevin Porter Jr. added 20 points. Brook Lopez posted a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
New Orleans was even more short-handed, missing nine players, including starters Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy. Despite the absences, the Pelicans hung tough throughout the game, exchanging the lead 18 times with Milwaukee and keeping the game close down to the wire.
After a tight back-and-forth stretch, Trent scored on a layup, and Porter followed up a steal seconds later with a transition dunk that put the Bucks up 110-99 with 1:29 remaining. Though the Pelicans closed the gap slightly in the final moments, they couldn’t complete the comeback.
Reeves Continues to Shine
One of the bright spots for New Orleans was rookie guard Antonio Reeves. Since earning more consistent minutes starting in March, Reeves has delivered. Against Milwaukee, he scored 23 points and knocked down five three-pointers, showcasing his shot-making ability.
The performance marked the second-highest scoring output of his career and continued a strong trend of shooting from long range. Since Jan. 1, Reeves is 34-of-68 from beyond the three-point line. His ability to space the floor and hit timely shots has become a much-needed asset during this stretch of injuries and lineup shuffling.
Quinones Seizes His Moment
Another young Pelican who made the most of his opportunity was Lester Quinones. Playing in just his ninth NBA game of the season, Quinones logged a season-high 25 minutes and tied his career high with 17 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting night. His energy and aggressiveness were noticeable from the jump, and he responded to head coach Willie Green’s message to “play free” with a poised and confident performance.
Quinones, who joined the team on a two-way contract in March, gave the Pelicans a spark off the bench.
Rookies Making an Impact
In addition to Reeves and Quinones, rookie forward Keion Brooks turned in a strong performance, notching the first double-double of his career with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow rookie Yves Missi also played well, finishing with 18 points and 12 boards. Despite the loss, the Pelicans saw their young core step up in meaningful minutes.
Looking Ahead
The Pelicans now head out on their final road trip of the season. They’ll face the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, followed by a rematch with the Bucks in Milwaukee on Thursday. After that, they’ll return home to close out the regular season with games against the Miami Heat on Friday and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
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