Over their Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back, the Milwaukee Bucks gored their foes by a combined 44 points, taking down the Magic 122-93 in the second game. Orlando never led after going up 9-8 in the first period. Resting on what peaked at a 32-point cushion, Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out the whole fourth quarter. Milwaukee won the game while attempting just 12 threes, the fewest attempts in an NBA game this season.
According to Bucks center Brook Lopez, a big reason for the reduction in outside shots was Milwaukee’s pace on offense, resulting in aggressive drives to the basket.
“I mean, seeing the early results, it makes a huge difference,” Lopez said. “I got a number of messages just looking at my phone where people who know us, they’re like, ‘it seems like Dame’s getting up the court quicker.’ We’re just moving a lot more, attacking the basket a ton.”
Damian Lillard mentioned that he is actively pushing the tempo, and the change has led to fast starts the last two games for Milwaukee. After establishing a 47-28 first quarter advantage over Sacramento on Tuesday, they dug the Magic an early 34-16 hole.
Can the team continue to look like this? For Bucks fans, it is more than refreshing.
Milwaukee Bucks Come Out Strong Again Vs Orlando Magic, Powered By Pace and Defense
Of those 12 three-point attempts, Milwaukee made 7, including a 3-3 night for Lillard. The point guard finished with 30 points and 4 steals on 13 of 19 from the field, the latest in his spree of efficient scoring performances dating back to January 6 against Toronto.
For his part, Giannis put up 26 PTS and 11 REB on 11-15 shooting in three quarters of play. Lopez added 13 PTS and 5 BLKS, tying his season-high since the 6 he had on opening night.
Asked about the team’s improved focus on defense, something both Dame and Giannis have emphasized lately, Lopez agreed that Milwaukee came into the contest with the same stout defensive mindset they applied in the Kings game: “I just thought our carryover was great. We definitely need to start making a bit of a run, so it was awesome to see that same kind of start for the second night in a row.”
In fact, Lopez said they did an even better job of maintaining the overall “competitive spirit” that Giannis preached after Tuesday’s win. “It was there from the get go, you know, and we had a bit of lapse last game, but pretty much for the full 48 minutes that energy was there tonight.” For the most part, increased engagement has been apparent in Milwaukee’s recent games. Though marred by an ugly loss to the Knicks, the Bucks have now won five of six.
Lopez Cites “No letup” Mentality As Driving Bucks’ Success
As Lopez indicated, the team will need to put together something of a heater to pull away from the 5-9 seeds and potentially challenge New York for third in the East. Just as importantly, they need to maintain a good feeling heading into the playoffs so they come prepared to go far. While the Bucks remain incomplete as a roster, they look to be gaining some stability.
Discussing how Milwaukee kept up intensity against Orlando, Lopez said much that applies to the season as a whole and the need to keep the pedal to the metal as they near the half-way mark of 2024-25: “I think we were just feeding off each other. Every timeout we were saying, ‘Keep it going, no letup, let’s win the quarter, let’s start this quarter off right. Someone was always just out there talking and being vocal, and then leading by doing as well.”
In support of Lopez’ point, the Bucks never let the Magic off the hook, maintaining at least a 20-point lead the entire second half. Now 22-17 and a half-game up on Orlando for the 4-spot, nonetheless they have just a two-game lead on 9th place Miami. One game, one quarter, one possession at a time, hopefully the Bucks will continue trending in the right direction.
While GM Jon Horst has not seemed particularly urgent to boost the roster, adding a legitimate third scorer at the trade deadline would also help elevate their ceiling and provide security if Giannis or Lillard are hurt.
The Bucks have a prime opportunity to keep the positive vibes flowing with upcoming games against the Raptors (10-31), 76ers (15-24) and Pelicans (10-32). Tipoff versus Toronto is set for 8 pm Friday.
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