Distractions have been at the center of this Milwaukee Bucks team the entire 2025-26 season, and even dating back into the offseason. These have stemmed from the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo, with all those distractions seemingly going away after the team opted not to trade the two-time MVP ahead of the deadline.

Therefore, Giannis will remain on the team till at least the 2026 offseason, as the team can get back to trying to win games, with a chance at postseason basketball on the table. Whether or not trying to make the postseason is the right decision for this team's future, their past three games could be an indication that they're trending upward.

In what has been the most manageable three-game stretch of their schedule, the Milwaukee Bucks were able to take care of it, defeating the Indiana Pacers 105-99 on Friday night, securing their third-straight win.

In their first time doing so this season, it was spearheaded by Milwaukee's defense, in addition to their ability to control the rebounding battle, taking that 48-37. Scoring-wise, the team got 23 and 22 points, respectively, from Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins. However, they also got a big boost off the bench.

Making his return to the lineup after a two-game absence was Bobby Portis, who scored 21 points and converted three of his seven attempts from beyond the arc. In his seventh 20-point game of the season, head coach Doc Rivers highlighted the importance of what Portis brings to the team.

"He makes big shots. He helps that second unit when we need the scoring off the bench, and he does that. So, it's pretty good for us," Rivers said.

Portis has been a key reserve for the majority of his career, as in only two of his 11 NBA seasons he had more starts than games coming off the bench. He has yet to win a Sixth Man of the Year award, but has two Top 3 finishes since arriving in Milwaukee.

While this three-game winning streak has been a good boost for the Bucks, the schedule features three tough road contests before heading into the All-Star break, with the Orlando Magic twice and the Oklahoma City Thunder to round it out.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo still expected to be sidelined for some time now, the Bucks will have to continue relying on their guard duo and the rest of the supporting cast if they want to stay afloat in the postseason race.