Bucks 109, Suns 105: Guards help interim coach Joe Prunty get a victory
Ben Steele
The Joe Prunty Interim Era is officially underway for the Milwaukee Bucks.
In his first game since taking the coaching reins after Jason Kidd's shocking firing earlier on Monday, Prunty watched the Bucks earn a 109-105 victory over the Phoenix Suns at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
"It's a tough day, with the things we talked about beforehand," Prunty said. "But at the end of the day, our job is to go out and perform. We want to get the win, every time we step on the floor. It's not a trick. There's certain things we need to do.
"One of the things tonight is (committing) 18 turnovers. We forced 22, so that helps. But at the end of the day, our job is to go out and get a win. That's what we did."
BOX SCORE: Bucks 109, Suns 105
RELATED:Jason Kidd fired as Milwaukee Bucks coach
RELATED:Bucks players caught off guard by Kidd's firing
NBA:Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, statistics
To make matters harder for Prunty, the interim coach was without all-star foward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo sat out his second straight game to rest his sore right knee. He plans to return to action Friday against the Brooklyn Nets at the Bradley Center.
But the Bucks had their guards fill the scoring void, with Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon combining for 86 points.
After missing the Bucks' 116-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday due to personal reasons, Brogdon finished with a career-high 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting.
His reward was an ice bath from his teammates upon returning to the locker room.
"My teammates always celebrate me like last year when I got my triple-double (and) this year, tonight, with my career high," Brogdon said. "This is a great team. A great atmosphere. That shows our camaraderie."
Middleton led the way with 35 points.
T.J. Warren paced the Suns (17-30) with 23 points.
Prunty saw his new charges quickly fall behind, 10-2. But thanks to an unsightly eight turnovers by the Suns and Middleton's 6-of-9 shooting for 13 points, the Bucks battled back to take a 30-26 lead by the end of first quarter.
"In coaching, there's concern all the time," Prunty said when asked about the slow start. "So, 10-2, the one thing that's on your side is at that stage of the game you got about 44 minutes to recover. It wasn't the start we wanted, but we know there's a lot of things that are going to take place."
Bledsoe took over scoring duties in the second quarter, notching eight points against the team that traded him to the Bucks in November. The game was tied, 53-53, at halftime.
Another big piece of that trade, Greg Monroe, led Phoenix with 12 points in the first half. It was his first game at the Bradley Center since getting dealt by the Bucks.
The teams continued to battle evenly through the third quarter, although the Suns closed with a 10-2 run to take a 79-76 lead heading into the fourth.
Middleton had nine points in the third, while Brogdon added seven.
Brogdon surpassed his career high when he hit a three-pointer to give him 24 points and the Bucks an 85-83 lead with 6:53 remaining.
That three-pointer was part of a 14-2 run that started when Brogdon checked back into the game.
The Suns got within 101-100 with just over a minute left. But on their next possession Isaiah Canaan and Troy Daniels both missed three-pointers.
A Brogdon steal followed by a Middleton jumper gave the Bucks a 105-100 lead with 24.3 seconds to go and all but sealed the win.
Brogdon's previous high of 22 points was accomplished twice, against the Washington Wizards as a rookie last season and against the Cleveland Cavaliers in November.
"I thought he did a real nice job of taking the shots that were presented to him. I thought he made some really nice drives, some very tough and very good finishes," Prunty said. "Obviously he and Khris shot the ball extremely well.
"One of the things that happens in the game is, each night, someone can get it going. Tonight, Malcolm and Khris did."
UP NEXT
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (24-22) vs. Brooklyn Nets (18-29)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center
About the Nets: The Bucks have won eight straight games over Brooklyn. This is the first of three matchups this season. Bucks guard Sean Kilpatrick played in parts of three seasons with the Nets from 2015-'17. He had a 16-game stint with Brooklyn earlier this season, averaging 4.9 points and 2.2 rebounds. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a third-year forward, is the Nets' leading scorer at 14.6 points per game.