The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers played two games with significant playoff seeding implications in a week, with just eight points separating the rivals. Bucks forward Taurean Prince tasted both agony and ecstasy in those games.
In their loss on Tuesday, Prince got lost covering Tyrese Haliburton on a late-game out-of-bounds play, freeing Haliburton for his 4-point game-winner. The tables turned Saturday when Prince played hero down the stretch after Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled out.
“I love TP as a competitor. I love him as a player,” Antetokounmpo said after the 126-119 win. “He’s not scared of the moment. He showed it tonight. He showed it in the past. He showed it in the NBA Cup.”
After Antetokounmpo fouled out with 2:46 to go, the Pacers quickly cut the Bucks’ 11-point lead to six. With fans’ nerves in a scrunch, Prince calmly drained a 3-pointer to extend the lead back to nine. The Pacers then advanced the ball quickly, giving Bucks nemesis, Pascal Siakam, an open shot down low. Prince went low, stripping the ball cleanly as Siakam rose to shoot.
He wasn’t done.
Twice in the waning seconds, the Pacers against cut the Bucks’ lead to one possession. With 18 seconds to go and the Bucks up only three points, Prince hit both free throws after getting fouled. With 10 ticks left and the lead at four, he hit another pair of free throws.
The late-game heroics highlighted the consistent, somewhat unheralded role Prince plays. He’s started 58 of the team’s 66 games. The 10-year veteran is shooting 45% from the field, better than his career average of 42%, in his first year on the Bucks. He’s making three-pointers at a 44.7% clip, by far the highest of his career and a mark that ranks second in the NBA.
“At times he’s going to defend his butt off,” Antetokounmpo said. “At times he’s going to spread the floor and make shots. At times he’s going to make plays for himself or another open teammate.”
Prince’s role became less clear with Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter Jr. joining the team. But coach Doc Rivers has kept Prince in the starting lineup, and his 31.6 minutes per game so far in March are significantly more than he played in the previous four months. The March stat that stands out is his impact: +50, up from -22 in February and +26 in January.
With Antetokounmpo and Lillard healthy and leading the league as a scoring duo, the opportunities for open looks will continue for Prince and the team’s other role players.
Up next: a home game Sunday night against the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
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