Bucks' Doc Rivers calls it 'criminal' if Dairy Bird isn't picked for 3-point contest
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After the Milwaukee Bucks’ 121-105 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, head coach Doc Rivers saved his gushiest praise for A.J. Green (aka “Dairy Bird”), the undrafted reserve out of Northern Iowa who, in his second NBA season, continues to endear himself to teammates and fans with his 3-point marksmanship and scrappy, disciplined work on defense.
“Has the 3-point competition [lineup] been announced yet?” Rivers asked reporters. “If he’s not in, it would be criminal.”
Green is shooting 45.5% from beyond the arc, which is good for second-best in the NBA behind Nikola Jokic. Against the Spurs, he hit back-to-back 3s twice, fueling big 1st-half runs by the Bucks that largely put the game out of reach. The first pair came in the span of 28 seconds toward the end of the 1st quarter. He followed that up with a pair of daggers at the end of 2nd quarter, with just 21 seconds separating them.
“A.J., I always see it where he’s the first person on the court,” said teammate Damian Lillard, the reigning 3-point contest champion. “You know, you just see him constantly, just working, working, working. …Every time he shoots, I think it’s going in. Whenever I see him open, I’m gonna throw him the ball.”
The Green Bombs came with a few notable possessions in between. Wembanyama got Green one-on-one on a switch in the first quarter, creating a somewhat comical matchup of a 7-foot-3 unicorn backing down the 6-foot-3 Green. The little guy won. Green harassed the rising superstar into a turnover, as Wembanyama sailed a pass out of bounds.
In the second quarter, Green got free under the Spurs defense. With a clear lane to the hoop, he rose confidently, looking ready to complete what would have been his first NBA dunk. And … he laid it in. Some speculated that it met the technical requirements of a dunk, as he did deposit the ball through the rim from above with two hands.
“I could tell he tried to load up and do it, but it didn’t count,” said Damian Lillard. “That wasn’t a dunk.”
“I agree with him,” Green responded.
Green finished the first half at +25, the highest plus/minus on the team. He had 14 points in the half and didn’t score after the break.
His hot shooting night was one bright spot among many on a night that the team hit 45.2% from 3-point range. Lillard was 4-for-7, part of a 26-point output that led all scorers. Reserve Gary Trent, Jr. was a perfect 4-for-4 from long range, matching Green with 14 points. A swarming defense held the Spurs to just 36.8% shooting, and Wembanyama managed only 10 points in 33 minutes.
Next up, the Bucks are at the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
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