Milwaukee shoots way fewer times than their opponent but wins (again)
In what was an ugly affair, the Milwaukee Bucks got the 121-115 overtime win against the Miami Heat. Giannis had yet another outrageous triple-double with 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. Kevin Porter Jr. also had what was probably his best game as a Buck with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. With Tyler Herro out, Bam Adebayo stepped up in a big way for the Heat with 31 points and 12 rebounds; Alec Burks also got off the chain for 24 points. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
What Did We Learn?
Giannis did his thing, and while we don’t take it for granted, it’s somewhat expected. But Kevin Porter Jr. having this type of performance could be very instructive for the playoffs. I know the Bucks camp is putting out optimism with Dame’s blood clot, but if the (external) medical professionals are correct, he could well miss the playoffs. For Giannis to see what KPJ can do might allow him to trust Porter more when it matters most. Additionally, it’s important that the coaches saw this because, with very limited playmakers on this team, they’re going to have to involve him in lots of primary actions and utilise that on-ball talent. Like, watching the final dagger back, this stuff simply can’t be taught, man. This is just talent:
Lopez comes up to screen for Porter and Brook’s man hedges. KPJ has the 1) confidence and 2) wherewithal to recognise the hedge, cross over, split the double team, and finish over the help after a spin move. Porter isn’t perfect and he’s had some bad games, but finding out ways to get him comfortable could come up huge when it matters. Postgame, Kevin spoke about his attitude in big moments:
“I’m fortunate enough to have been in those moments where one shot could win the game. So I just trusted my work, trusted myself. I feel good and confident when I have the trust of my teammates to make that last play. Those are the moments we live for. I love being in those moments and I’ll take that shot any chance I get.”
Three Observations
Giannis played a brilliant game and is a brilliant player, but taking a fadeaway jumper off no action as the final shot of regulation was a bad decision.
Giannis was brilliant last night. What can you say? He’s a superhuman talent and just keeps posting insane stat lines. I want to make sure I give him his plaudits for that and not detract from his overall play. However, the shot he took at the end of regulation with a golden opportunity to win the game was bad. For those that didn’t see, here it is:
To me, this had “I want to take this Kobe-esque glamour shot and be the hero” written all over it. Giannis had been getting great results from doing what he does well for the entire game. with no shot clock to worry about, he could well have screened for or been screened by KPJ or AJ and made the defence sweat by having to make some decisions. At least do something, darn it.
I think an underrated part of being a leader is knowing what the best shot for the team is at a given moment. Yes, Giannis is a legend, top player in the league, etc. Nobody is going to say he doesn’t “deserve” to be taking an important shot. But most of these end-of-game attempts tend to be jump shots, and although he’s improved at them this year, they are not a “strength” of Giannis’ (at least in my opinion). I’m not sure that can be a strength if you’re shooting a career-low from the free throw line. So Giannis can still be the “hero” or the one that makes the crucial play, but maybe that play is making a great pass or setting a solid screen, as opposed to a low-quality glamour shot. Postgame, Doc said he “didn’t mind” the shot. I assume he’s just publicly going to bat for his best player; I reckon most unbiased observers would say that was a bad shot.
Kyle Kuzma was really, really bad, and should think about playing differently.
Man, rough one for Kuz, which is something we seem to be saying a lot. Nine points on 4/13 shooting and 1/6 from three; he was -15 in 25 minutes. I can’t recall if I’ve floated this on any of my game coverage, but if the shot isn’t falling, Kuz needs to think differently about his role on this team. Going 1/6 from three will kill this team in the playoffs. So what did they have AJax doing when he couldn’t shoot efficiently? They tried to turn him into a screener. Granted, getting good opportunities off this strategy is hard without Dame to draw the defence out, but Kuz should maybe lean into that.
The team, yet again, shot way fewer times than their opponent.
Credit to Bucks Film Room for this stat, but Milwaukee has taken 70 fewer shots than their opponents in the last five games. That stat is so crazy it doesn’t even feel real. They shot 15 times fewer last night and continue to turn the ball over (although last night wasn’t horrible) and allow offensive rebounds at a crazy rate. Hopefully Portis (and Sims?) returning helps with this somewhat. But these numbers go beyond personnel, they go to gameplan, technique, and attitude.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- AJax got a few minutes, but the rest of the team looked like they had no clue how to play with him. Tough.
- Really nice game from Pat, going 4/5 and nailing his only three-point attempt. Plus, two assists to boot.
- Brook Lopez was excellent in this one. 7/11 shooting and great defence, for the most part.
- Multiple different dance moves from Giannis throughout the game. Good to see him having fun.
Up Next
The Bucks are back in action tonight in the bayou against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. Central. Watch on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin or stream it on our Playback and YouTube channels.
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