Bucks Vs. Pacers Player Grades: Sims Cleans In The Glass In Third Straight Win

Feb 6, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims (00) blocks a shot by Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are undefeated with Ousmane Dieng on the roster (despite him not seeing a second of playing time), taking down the Indiana Pacers, 105-99. After leading by as many as 20 points, the Bucks hung on despite being outscored 34-22 in the fourth. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

Myles Turner

27 minutes, 9 points, 10 rebounds, 4/10 FG, 1/5 3P, +11

It wasn’t Turner’s best day shooting the ball, but he more than made up for it in his defense and rebounding. Tied for the team lead in offensive rebounding with four, and played well in transition defense. 

Grade: B-

Ryan Rollins

34 minutes, 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls, 9/19 FG, 4/8 3P, +6

Four straight 20+ point games for Rylo. He’s found his groove once again, even though he got in a bit of foul trouble. 

Grade: B+

AJ Green

37 minutes, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4/12 3P, +9

Green was in line for a much bigger game, shooting an efficient 3/5 from the field in the first half. He finished 1/7, but it’s good to see him shoot it with confidence. 

Grade: B-

Kevin Porter Jr.

34 minutes, 23 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, 10/20 FG, 0/6 3P, +3

KPJ got the start last night with Rylo in the backcourt, and they played off each other well. While the three-point shot hasn’t returned just yet, he was aggressive in the paint, going 10/12. 

Grade: A-

Bobby Portis

26 minutes, 21 points, 6 rebounds, 9/18 FG, 3/7 3P, -1

Man, did the Bucks need BP back. For all the annoyances of his play style, when he gets his shot going, he’s one of the best backup bigs in the league. 

Grade: B

Gary Trent Jr. 

19 minutes, 7 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 3/5 FG, 0/2 3P, -5

Has the real GTJ finally stood up? While he didn’t hit a three, he’s looked much better over recent games. Hopefully, he can keep this up for his and the Bucks’ sake. 

Grade: B-

Gary Harris

14 minutes, 0 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 0/3 FG, +2

It was a bit of a dud game for Harris, but I’ll give him a bit of a pass since he came off an injury. He looked solid defensively, just didn’t get any shots to go down. 

Grade: C-

Pete Nance

18 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2/3 FG, 1/1 3P, -4

If the Bucks don’t scoop someone up off the buyout market, that open roster spot should go to Nance. While it wasn’t his most prolific game, he’s showing game by game that he belongs in the NBA. 

Grade: C+

Jericho Sims

31 minutes, 4 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2/3 FG, +9

Has Sims become the new big wing stopper for the Bucks? After taking on Zion Williamson last night, he was matched up all night with Pascal Siakam. He helped limit Siakam to 19 points on 7/19 shooting and 1/8 from three-point range. Combined with a career day on the boards, Sims had a near-perfect game. 

Grade: A

Doc Rivers

It was a surprise to see Jericho Sims in the starting lineup for the injured Kyle Kuzma. Yet, to Doc’s credit, it worked. He also went 1/1 on his challenges tonight, so add that in the plus column for Doc.

Grade: B+

DNP-CD: Ousmane Dieng, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Andre Jackson Jr.

Inactive: Alex Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma, Taurean Prince

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Here’s what Doc had to say pre-game about the newly-added Dieng:

“We just really like him. (He’s) a talented player, has size, I think he’s more of a 3/4, (and) can really pass the ball. I think he was last cut on the France Olympic team, at his age. Coming from a great orginzation, good shooter, is going to be a better shooter. So, a lot of things we liked.”

• Milwaukee finished with 13 offensive rebounds, tied for the third most they’ve collected this season. Turner and Sims had four each, while KPJ chipped in with two more. I asked Doc about what he saw from the effort on the glass tonight from his team:

“I think the re-concerted interest in getting offensive rebounds was there. We missed five of them where we got our hands on them. We’re doing this thing where we push the defensive player in, so he can’t leak out and that’s been effective for us as well. Jericho is a rebounding machine, he really is.”

• The duo of Rollins and Porter seems to be gelling. After some struggles earlier in the season, they combined for 45 points last night. KPJ raved about the growth he’s seen out of Rollins:

“Rylo has taken the biggest leap, and we need him to. Giannis is out, TP [Taurean Prince] is out. We’re battling injuries, and he’s been there holding the fort.”

• KPJ took a season high 20 field goal attempts. His previous high was 18 FGA twice. 
• The Bucks have won three games in a row for the first time this season.
• I would be remiss if I didn’t wish friend of the site Marques Johnson an early happy 70th birthday. Bango went into the booth, shot off a confetti cannon, and presented Johnson with a cake. To many more birthday dunk videos in the future. 

Up Next

The Bucks will hit the road with a pair of games against the Orlando Magic. The first of those two will be on Monday at 6:30 p.m. Central Time and will stream only on Peacock.