2018–19 Milwaukee Bucks season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 2018–19 Milwaukee Bucks season was the 51st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] The Bucks moved from the Bradley Center to the new Fiserv Forum before the start of the season.[2][3] On May 17, 2018, the Bucks hired Mike Budenholzer as head coach.[4] The Bucks opened the season with seven straight wins, the first time they started a season 7–0 since 1971–72. On March 1, 2019, with a 131–120 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Bucks became the first team to secure a playoff berth in the season. Later on, The Bucks clinched their first Division Championship since 2000-01. They then clinched the best record in the NBA with a win against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 4, 2019, achieving the feat for the first time since 1973–74. Eventually, the Bucks finished the regular season with a 60–22 record, the franchise's first 60-win season since 1980–81. The Bucks finished 33–8 at home, the second-best home record in the NBA, behind the Denver Nuggets, and their 27–14 road record was the best in the league, tied with the Golden State Warriors. The Bucks also won all 14 of their season series against Eastern Conference opponents, and lost back-to-back games just once, resulting in their longest losing streak for the season, at two games. The Bucks had the best team defensive rating in the NBA.[5]
| 2018–19 Milwaukee Bucks season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Mike Budenholzer |
| General manager | Jon Horst |
| Owners | |
| Arena | Fiserv Forum |
| Results | |
| Record | 60–22 (.732) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Central) Conference: 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Conference finals (lost to Raptors 2–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Wisconsin |
| Radio | WTMJ (AM) |
In the playoffs, the Bucks defeated the Detroit Pistons in the First Round by a four-game sweep, winning their first playoff series since 2001. The Bucks then defeated the Boston Celtics in the Semifinals in five games, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001, where they faced the Toronto Raptors and lost to the eventual NBA Champion in six games, despite taking the first two.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was named league MVP after this season and he and Khris Middleton were voted to play in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. Also, following the season Malcolm Brogdon, who won Rookie of the Year in 2017, left the team in free agency for the Indiana Pacers after just three years with the Bucks.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position(s) | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Donte DiVincenzo | SG |  United States |
Villanova |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Standings
Division
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – Milwaukee Bucks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 33–8 | 27–14 | 14–2 | 82 |
| x – Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 12.0 | 29–12 | 19–22 | 11–5 | 82 |
| x – Detroit Pistons | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19.0 | 26–15 | 15–26 | 8–8 | 82 |
| Chicago Bulls | 22 | 60 | .268 | 38.0 | 9–32 | 13–28 | 3–13 | 82 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 19 | 63 | .232 | 41.0 | 13–28 | 6–35 | 4–12 | 82 |
Conference
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z – Milwaukee Bucks * | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Toronto Raptors * | 58 | 24 | .707 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Philadelphia 76ers | 51 | 31 | .622 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Boston Celtics | 49 | 33 | .598 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Brooklyn Nets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 7 | y – Orlando Magic * | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Detroit Pistons | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 39 | 43 | .476 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Washington Wizards | 32 | 50 | .390 | 28.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Atlanta Hawks | 29 | 53 | .354 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Chicago Bulls | 22 | 60 | .268 | 38.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 19 | 63 | .232 | 41.0 | 82 |
| 15 | New York Knicks | 17 | 65 | .207 | 43.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2018 preseason game log Total: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Playoffs
| 2019 playoff game log Total: 10–5 (home: 6–2; road: 4–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
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Conference Finals: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2019 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 72 | 72 | 32.8 | .578 | .256 | .729 | 12.5 | 5.9 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 27.7 |
| Eric Bledsoe | 78 | 78 | 29.1 | .484 | .329 | .750 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 15.9 |
| Malcolm Brogdon | 64 | 64 | 28.6 | .505 | .426 | .928 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 15.6 |
| Sterling Brown | 58 | 7 | 17.8 | .465 | .361 | .690 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 6.4 |
| Isaiah Canaan | 4 | 0 | 7.8 | .333 | .400 | — | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.5 |
| Bonzie Colson [a] | 8 | 2 | 12.3 | .333 | .238 | .889 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 4.9 |
| Pat Connaughton | 61 | 2 | 20.7 | .466 | .330 | .725 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 6.9 |
| Matthew Dellavedova [a] | 12 | 0 | 8.1 | .316 | .364 | 1.000 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Donte DiVincenzo | 27 | 0 | 15.2 | .403 | .265 | .750 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 4.9 |
| Trevon Duval | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | .667 | 1.000 | — | .3 | .7 | .0 | .0 | 1.7 |
| Tim Frazier [a] | 12 | 2 | 17.6 | .424 | .417 | .692 | .3 | .7 | .0 | .0 | 6.3 |
| Pau Gasol [a] | 3 | 0 | 10.0 | .167 | .333 | .500 | 3.3 | .7 | .0 | .3 | 1.3 |
| John Henson [a] | 14 | 0 | 13.4 | .463 | .355 | .600 | 5.1 | 1.0 | .5 | .8 | 5.6 |
| George Hill | 47 | 0 | 20.4 | .428 | .280 | .815 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 6.8 |
| Ersan İlyasova | 67 | 7 | 18.4 | .438 | .363 | .824 | 4.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 6.8 |
| Brook Lopez | 81 | 81 | 28.7 | .435 | .365 | .842 | 4.9 | 1.2 | .6 | 2.2 | 12.5 |
| Thon Maker [a] | 35 | 0 | 11.7 | .440 | .333 | .541 | 2.7 | .5 | .3 | .5 | 4.7 |
| Khris Middleton | 77 | 77 | 31.1 | .441 | .378 | .837 | 6.0 | 4.3 | 1.0 | .1 | 18.3 |
| Nikola Mirotić [a] | 14 | 3 | 22.9 | .415 | .356 | .870 | 5.4 | 1.4 | .7 | .6 | 11.6 |
| Jaylen Morris [a] | 4 | 0 | 7.3 | .400 | .333 | .500 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 2.5 |
| Jason Smith [a] | 6 | 0 | 6.7 | .308 | .333 | 1.000 | 1.8 | .2 | .3 | .3 | 2.2 |
| Tony Snell | 74 | 12 | 17.6 | .452 | .397 | .881 | 2.1 | .9 | .4 | .2 | 6.0 |
| D. J. Wilson | 48 | 3 | 18.4 | .414 | .362 | .553 | 4.6 | 1.1 | .4 | .4 | 5.8 |
| Christian Wood [a] | 13 | 0 | 4.8 | .480 | .600 | .667 | 1.5 | .2 | .0 | .0 | 2.8 |
- a Statistics with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 15 | 15 | 34.3 | .494 | .327 | .637 | 12.2 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 25.5 |
| Eric Bledsoe | 15 | 15 | 28.2 | .411 | .236 | .706 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 1.1 | .4 | 13.7 |
| Malcolm Brogdon | 7 | 2 | 28.3 | .449 | .378 | .636 | 4.9 | 3.4 | .7 | .1 | 13.0 |
| Sterling Brown | 11 | 5 | 14.7 | .395 | .333 | .727 | 2.7 | 1.7 | .5 | .3 | 4.1 |
| Pat Connaughton | 15 | 0 | 21.6 | .481 | .357 | .500 | 6.2 | 1.4 | .4 | .9 | 6.2 |
| Tim Frazier | 11 | 0 | 3.6 | .615 | .500 | 1.000 | .8 | .9 | .1 | .0 | 1.9 |
| George Hill | 15 | 0 | 26.3 | .534 | .417 | .818 | 3.5 | 2.8 | .8 | .3 | 11.5 |
| Ersan İlyasova | 15 | 0 | 18.1 | .432 | .300 | .800 | 4.7 | 1.4 | .7 | .4 | 6.8 |
| Brook Lopez | 15 | 15 | 29.2 | .455 | .293 | .828 | 5.5 | 1.4 | .4 | 1.9 | 11.2 |
| Khris Middleton | 15 | 15 | 34.3 | .418 | .435 | .885 | 6.3 | 4.4 | .4 | .0 | 16.9 |
| Nikola Mirotić | 14 | 8 | 21.3 | .376 | .289 | .821 | 4.3 | .7 | .7 | .2 | 9.5 |
| Tony Snell | 9 | 0 | 3.1 | .333 | .500 | — | .3 | .0 | .1 | .1 | 0.6 |
| D. J. Wilson | 8 | 0 | 5.4 | .500 | .200 | 1.000 | 1.3 | .5 | .0 | .1 | 2.4 |
Transactions
Overview
| Players Added Via draft Via trade Via free agency |
Players Lost Via trade Via free agency Waived |
Trades
| October 15, 2018[6] | To Milwaukee Bucks Jodie Meeks 2019 protected second round pick Cash considerations |
To Washington Wizards 2019 protected second round pick | |
| December 7, 2018[7][8] | To Milwaukee Bucks George Hill Jason Smith Protected 2021 second round pick Cash considerations |
To Cleveland Cavaliers Matthew Dellavedova John Henson 2021 first round pick 2021 second round pick 2022 second round pick |
To Washington Wizards Sam Dekker |
| February 7, 2019 [9] | To Milwaukee Bucks Nikola Mirotić |
To New Orleans Pelicans Jason Smith Stanley Johnson 2019 protected second round pick Two 2020 second round picks 2021 second round pick |
To Detroit Pistons Thon Maker |
Free agency
Re-signed
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Shabazz Muhammad[10] | September 22, 2018 |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former Team |
|---|---|---|
| Ersan İlyasova[11] | July 16, 2018 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Brook Lopez[12] | July 17, 2018 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Trevon Duval[13] | Two-way contract | Duke Blue Devils |
| Brandon McCoy[14] | July 31, 2018 | UNLV Runnin' Rebels |
| Travis Trice[14] | July 31, 2018 |  Champville SC |
| Jaylen Morris[14] | Two-way contract |  Fiat Torino |
| Pat Connaughton[15] | August 1, 2018 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Jordan Barnett[16] | August 7, 2018 | Missouri Tigers |
| Tim Frazier[10] | September 22. 2018 | Washington Wizards |
| Christian Wood[10] | Delaware 87ers | |
Subtractions
| Player | Signed | New Team |
|---|---|---|
| Jabari Parker[17] | July 14, 2018 | Chicago Bulls |
| Jordan Barnett[18] | ||
| Brandon McCoy[18] | ||
| Brandon Jennings[18] | ||
| Travis Trice[18] |
Awards
- Giannis Antetokounmpo NBA MVP