It’s been a rough few years for the Milwaukee Bucks, but they’ve come a long way since hitting rock bottom earlier in the season. Tonight, at the Fiserv Forum, the Bucks secured one of their most impressive wins yet against Victor Wembanyama and a rising San Antonio Spurs team.
The Bucks dropped 31 points in the first quarter to set the tone early and establish a pace for the game. The Spurs tried their best to keep up, but after taking a 65-46 deficit into halftime, it became clear that they were outmatched at every turn. By the end, the final score wasn’t even close and the Bucks were able to cruise to a 121-105 victory.
Damian Lillard was the leading scorer for the winning team with 26 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds in 35 minutes on the court. 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists on 11-21 shooting. Finally, starting center Brook Lopez was third among Bucks’ scorers with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 8-17 shooting.Â
For the Spurs, Keldon Johnson was their leading scorer in this one with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 assist in 25 minutes off the bench. Veteran guard Chris Paul dropped 18 points, 7 assists, and 1 steal on 6-10 shooting. Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama finished with just 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 4-10 shooting.Â
At 19-16 this season, the Bucks are far from a perfect team and they still have a long way to go before they’re playing up to their full potential. With Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo finally hitting a stride, we are seeing for ourselves just how dangerous this steam can be when everything is clicking.
Lockdown Defense on Victor Wembanyama
At 18-19, the Spurs are a much improved team from last season, when they finished 14th in the West at 22-60. The key to their recent success is young basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama, who is having a career year with the Spurs (25.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game).
Tonight, however, the Bucks were able to shut him down early on by making him Giannis’ defensive assignment. His coverage on the young superstar was phenomenal and no doubt the main reason he was held to 10 points on 40% shooting in 33 minutes.
With their main source for scoring struggling to get it going, the Spurs were unable to close the gap and it got out of control pretty early on. If the Bucks can maintain this defensive play throughout the season, it’ll go a long way toward helping them win more games and gaining some traction in the standings.
19-42 From Three
The Bucks only rank 14th on offense across all 30 teams but also have the league’s second-highest average three-point percentage (38.7%). Traditionally, the Bucks have been a defensive-first team, but adding Damian Lillard and hiring head coach Doc Rivers has changed the team’s identity.
In the win against the Spurs, the Bucks had one of their finest shooting displays, going 19-42 from beyond the arc while the competition shot 18-52. Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez torched the Spurs from beyond the arc, going a combined 9-18.
When the Bucks have a consistent perimeter threat in the game, it allows Giannis and the other interior players to play with much less pressure and more space. Tonight, we saw the Bucks completely overwhelm the Spurs with their shooting and it allowed Giannis to play with the ultimate freedom on the floor.
Key Bench Contributions
It was an all-around good day for the Bucks, especially for the bench, which provided a major spark against the Spurs. Giannis and Lillard are the team’s stars and leaders, and their success is crucial for the Bucks to win games.
But as we’ve seen so many times before, no duo can not do it alone. For the Bucks to be a proper title contender, the bench must consistently show up like they did tonight, when the second unit scored a combined 45 points. Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green were lighting it up on the floor with 14 points each.
Thanks to a well-balanced scoring effort, the Bucks were able to shoot 47.8% from the field tonight and they were able to withstand some runs by the Spurs in the second half. Going forward, depth could be a crucial aspect of the Bucks success this season given how stacked the Western Conference is.
With guys like Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr., and AJ Green, the Bucks have some depth this season and that’s not counting Khris Middleton, who is still working his way back to All-Star form.
With their second straight win now in the books, the Bucks are 5th in the standings at 19-16 and just 4.5 games back from the Knicks for the second seed in the East. Their next game is tomorrow, January 10th, against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center (7:00 PM EST). The Bucks also play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden at 3:00 PM on Saturday, January 12th. Finally, the Bucks return home on January 14th to face the Sacramento Kings at 8:00 PM EST.
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