Cam Thomas just dropped another masterpiece off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks, going for 27 points in 21 minutes Friday night against the Pelicans. It’s his second such performance in a Bucks jersey, following up on a 34-point outing in Orlando before the break.
When he gets going, the former Nets guard is an entire offense unto himself, but Thomas also appreciates the opportunities created by his new teammates. Milwaukee’s strong shooters space the floor for Thomas to operate, generate assist chances, and simply make the offense flow more naturally around ballhandlers.
Thomas and his Bucks teammates are smoothly in sync
Thomas described dissecting New Orleans’ defense en route to the Bucks’ 139-118 win, which featured Thomas and Ryan Rollins as co-leaders with 27 points apiece.
“Really just reading the defense, playing within the offense. Just playing my game. Reading the matchups. Just playing off the guys. Everybody’s a threat, so you love being on the court with people like that. Everybody being a threat to shoot, knock shots down, so, makes my life easier.”
Overall, the Bucks shot a scorching 60% from the field (55-92) and went 15-36 from distance (42%). 28 assists accounted for half of their made field goals. Although Thomas only had one assist himself (his job, first and foremost, is to put the ball in the hoop), the presence of capable shooters at every position left plenty of cushion for Thomas to cook his defender one-on-one as a scorer in isolation.
Feb 11, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Cam Thomas (24) is fouled by Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson (11) during the second half at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
That’s not a matchup anyone should want when Thomas is feeling it. He finished his night 11-for-17 from the floor, still playing on a minutes restriction due to a hamstring issue that originated earlier this season when Thomas was in Brooklyn.
That hasn’t prevented him from meshing instantly with his new group of collaborators.
“I mean, I think we were all just playing off one another,” he said of how the offense hummed in New Orleans. “Playing with the pass, playing together. That’s all you ask for in a basketball game, and we did that and we capitalized and we got stops. So it was good.”
For More Great Wisconsin Content
Follow me on X at @ezsniper14 and follow us@WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports,click here!