The Milwaukee Bucks played three quarters of this one with no energy whatsoever, losing a winnable game to the Curry-less Golden State Warriors. Giannis nearly had another triple-double with 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists but was not efficient at all. Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 24 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists.
NBA.com Box Score
Game Recap
The Bucks began their West Coast trip half asleep and unimaginative on offence while the Warriors, down Steph Curry, were locked in. Giannis had two blocked drives and a three—all off one pass, tops—and Dame air-balled a three. Dubs up 12-3 after just 2:32 of game time. It feels like you can tell whether the team is alert or not from the first minute of the game, and they all looked half asleep to begin this one. From that point, the Bucks decided to start playing proper basketball, where you try and generate high-quality shots, and reduced the deficit to five after one, Warriors up 32-27.
Golden State opened the second quarter upping their lead to double digits following Quinten Post’s second three. Contrastingly, the Bucks sunk to 3/16 from three. Milwaukee was going to the zone with multiple bad Golden State shooters on the floor, but they kept losing the one shooter they had to guard in Buddy Hield. And that was the theme of the game thus far: details. They kept messing up on details. Playing good defence for 18 seconds only to let a guy face-cut them. Or they’d be ball-watching as a guy cut baseline for a layup. Getting into stats felt pointless; the team just looked like a bunch of disparate parts out there. Dubs up 58-44 at half.
The second half began with yet another hilarious Giannis block/charge call that Doc had to waste a challenge correcting. From there, the Bucks slowly pegged back the deficit behind a 14-0 run, including three Kuzma triples off much better ball movement and dribble penetration than the first half. Milwaukee grabbed the lead around the four-minute mark of the period. Kuminga dropped Trent for a flagrant-one foul with a few minutes remaining to give the Bucks an extra few free throws. However, some late Bucks turnovers, quick shots, and a horrible AJ Green foul on Butler on a three had the Warriors up 78-76 after three. That was a really costly stretch that, had they been more focused, they could have built up a real advantage. Details.
The Bucks came into the fourth quarter completely unfocused. KPJ fouled Butler on a long two which he made; then Dame had a TO of his own, resulting in a Hield transition three. Post nailed another three when Lopez lost touch of him in the corner, and the lead was back near double digits. Dame finally got going a bit with consecutive and-ones to keep the Bucks within five with six minutes remaining. But the Bucks’ late-game offence remains putrid, and they couldn’t score. They play slow, they don’t hit on picks, and, as a result, aren’t able to generate good looks. Warriors win.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks did not score s single field goal in the final 5:20 of the game. And it’s a tale as old as time at this point. The other team increases physicality at the point of attack, and as I said above, the Bucks seem to have no idea how to up their own. As a result, they get punked and taken out of what they want to do. For what it’s worth, I am tired of Milwaukee’s big men not hitting on screens; that is a part of how you increase physicality back at the other team and make them pay for their aggressiveness. Keep doing the same thing and expect the same results.
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