Bucks vs. Wizards: Shutting down their sorcery

Giannis and Dame combine for 77 to hold off Wizards comeback bid

The Milwaukee Bucks ended the month of November with a 9-5 record after taking down the Washington Wizards, 124-114. It’s the first time since opening night that the Bucks have been over .500 this season (10-9). It was another Giannis Antetokounmpo masterclass, as he put up the first 40+ point triple-double of his career with 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Damian Lillard had another double-double with 25 points and 10 assists. Former Buck Malcolm Brogdon had 29 points, while Wisconsin native Jordan Poole had 31 points for the Wizards.

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?

The Bucks have learned how to finish close games. Getting over the hump was a real challenge at the beginning of the year. Yet tonight they did, and Doc Rivers acknowledged that this is the type of game they probably would have lost earlier in the year.

“You take these wins like this because these are the games early in the season we would have lost,” Rivers said. “These games are good teachers for us.”

After the Wizards had brought it within two points, 105-103, with 4:57 to go in the fourth, the Bucks went on a 10-0 run in the next 3:28 of game time to take a 115-103 lead with 1:29 to go. Veteran wing Taurean Prince said the biggest difference is the game’s mental aspects, beyond what’s happening on the floor.

“I just think mentality, maturity, and always keeping that bigger picture in the back of your mind, we know where we want to get to and there’s a lot things we have to do in the midst of that in order to become very good at what we do,” Prince said. “I think we handled business, we’re up a lot in the first quarter and they kinda got back into the game, but we’re all pros, and at the end of the day we got it done.”

While yes, this was the now 2-16 Washington Wizards, it’s still not easy to close out a team in the NBA. Poole, Brogdon, and Valančiūnas are solid NBA veterans who know how to score and how to win games. This is a good test run for closing out a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics, teams that they did not close out earlier this season but that they probably will see in April and May (if things keep going in the right direction record-wise). The most important thing is building good winning habits—no matter if it’s a veteran team or a young team, learning how to close out games is vital in this league.

Giannis’ Three Passes

I think an aspect of Giannis’ game that routinely goes underappreciated is the way he can pass the ball. While some won’t admit it, Giannis is in the same class of passer as Jokic when it comes to passing big men. I don’t think he is better than Jokic, but at the very least they are on the same level. There were three incredible passes from Giannis tonight that set up some big buckets.

Even as an NBA-caliber defender, how do you possibly guard this in transition?

It’s hard enough to try and defend Giannis when he gets a full head of steam to the rim. You’re ready to concede the two points off a layup or dunk and you just pray you don’t foul him in the process. Now add in that he has been making passes like this and he has the caliber of shooter to make a team pay? That is a beautiful sight to see if you’re a Milwaukee Bucks fan.

“My mindset is in transition, Giannis is going to be Giannis. So, for me, it’s just to get to a position where I can have his back and get into that corner.” Prince said.

I don’t think any of us would have trusted Patrick Beverley or Jae Crowder (sorry Jae, you’re still my Marquette guy) to make this shot, but Taurean Prince? Heck yes.

Even when he is double-teamed on either side, Giannis finds a way to make the pass

Now in the halfcourt, Giannis can still make these passes. In the first quarter, Giannis is doubled by the Wizards’ young duo of Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly on the low block. Giannis is then forced to pick up his dribble and pivot towards the baseline to look for an outlet to either Andre Jackson Jr or Prince. He gives an initial pump to draw in Brogdon (great positioning by AJax to be in the dunker’s spot) and then fires a ridiculous pass to Prince who has to slightly fade away to get the shot off over Poole for the three.

Giannis can make a pass when it matters most.

If there is gonna be a time for a great Giannis pass, in the clutch to put away a team is the time to do it. With the Bucks up by six and the shot clock winding down, Giannis again picks up his dribble against the double-team. This time though, he steps through the double to the middle of the paint and throws a no-look pass, where he’s able to find Prince with 1.9 on the shot clock to nail a big trifecta.

“When we went to the bench I told him ‘way to bail me out’,” Antetokoumpo said. “The guy was pressuring me and I tried to go by him, the other guy came to double team and I was about to throw it to the corner, but he relocated at the last minute and I was able to make the pass, it was a great play by him (Prince), he’s been incredible.”

Prince was the recipient of all three assists and leads the league in 3P%. Part of that is him making shots and quickly developing a connection with Giannis, but part of that is Giannis getting him good looks.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Giannis tied Micheal Jordan for 8th all-time for the most 35+ point triple-doubles in NBA history (8). His thoughts on the matter are quintessential Giannis:

“It’s a great compliment but you just got to keep going,” Antetokounmpo said. “When I’m going to be 40 (years old) somewhere in Hawaii or in the Caribbean and drinking a pina colada and arguing with my wife about how badass I was when I used to play. Maybe I can say ‘Yeah, me and Micheal Jordan did that’ but right now I try to stay locked in.”

• Giannis Antetokounmpo had 42 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists tonight for his first career 40-point triple-double and the first 40-point triple-double recorded in the NBA this season. Antetokounmpo is just the second player in franchise history to tally a 40-point triple-double, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the honor.
• Tonight is the third time that Antetokounmpo and Lillard have each had 25+ points and 10+ assists in the same game in their time as teammates, marking the most by any duo since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.
• I asked AJ Green about this fadeaway three he took over Corey Kispert during the third quarter:

“I saw space, there was an empty side, I came off and there was space, that whole corner was open,” Green said.

• Speaking of AJ, for those wondering, Bobby Portis fully signs off on the “Dairy Bird,” nickname for Green.

Up Next

The Bucks will look to make it seven straight wins as they head on the road for their first of seven scheduled road games during December. They travel to take on the Detroit Pistons for their final NBA Cup group play game, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 PM CST. You can catch all the action on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin or our Playback channel.

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