Ousmane Dieng impressed on both sides of the court.
Doc Rivers has been much happier in postgames lately, even if the games end in losses.
For the Milwaukee Bucks at this point in the season, the most than can be asked for is effort and strong performances in games. The playoffs are out of reach and now is the time to stay committed to winning principles and finish out the season strong from a development point of view, even if the wins aren't always there.
That was the case Wednesday night after the Bucks dropped a game 119-113 to the Houston Rockets. It wasn't a Milwaukee win, but Rivers was happy with the effort that his team gave to stay in the fight and provide unselfish performances, which in turn led to lots of individual success.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Ousmane Dieng (21) dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesSuccess Across the Board
Ousmane Dieng, Pete Nance and Corman Ryan all set new career-highs in points while Jericho Sims set a new career-high in rebounds.
Dieng's performance in the game stands out the most. He led the game with 36 points while shooting 15-31 from the field and added seven rebounds and 10 assists. It wasn't just his scoring metrics that stood out to Rivers though, but the effort he gave on the defensive end.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Ousmane Dieng (21) shoots the ball as Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesDieng had the tough task of guarding Kevin Durant for most of the night. Even at this later stage of his career, Durant is still a physical weapon with massive scoring potential, but Dieng held him to 19 points on 7-16 shooting.
Still a solid night, but Durant could have gone off for far more and made a tight game into something much closer to a blowout had Dieng not stayed on him so consistently for so long.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Ousmane Dieng (21) and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) battle for the ball during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesDieng Stands Out in New Role
"Great night. Stayed competitive. Fought. Denied," Rivers said of Dieng's performance against Durant (via Bucks). "We tried everything against Durant. We denied him. Trapped him. We went zone a lot... I thought all those things were great and I thought Ous [Dieng] had a big part in that."
Dieng has found new life with the Milwaukee Bucks compared to his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half of the season.
As a Bucks, he's started in over half the games he's appeared in and shown off his potential on both sides of the court that was sometimes dormant buried deep on the depth chart of Oklahoma City's stacked roster.
Performances like Wednesday's show off exactly what he's capable of as a player on both sides of the court and what he can continue to do moving forward if given a bigger role.