Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Pat Connaughton and the Milwaukee Bucks won a close Game 1 against the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Bucks had little trouble the rest of the series, breezing to a four-game sweep of the defending Eastern Conference champions. The series not only gave the Bucks some rest ahead of their second-round series, but it potentially opened an opportunity for Connaughton for the rest of the playoffs, albeit at a cost. More on that in a moment.
Connaughton was the Buck who played the least in Game 1’s overtime win. In 10 minutes, he made one field goal, grabbed four rebounds and committed his only turnover of the series. Game 2 was Connaughton’s best of the series, scoring 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. He added three more 3-pointers in Game 3, and Game 4 gave him one field goal and five rebounds in his first start in 42 career playoff games.
Connaughton averaged 7.0 points and 3.8 assists a game on 45.5 percent shooting from the field. It’s possible he’ll be starting more because the Bucks have lost starting shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo for the rest of the playoffs after injuring a tendon in his foot in Game 3. Whether coach Mike Budenholzer wants Connaughton to be DiVincenzo’s replacement starter for the rest of the playoffs or not, Connaughton will need to be more consistent at a position that demands a lot of scoring. Having to start doing this come playoff time won’t be easy, but it has to be done for the Bucks to get further than the conference semifinals.
