Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 116-97 loss to Cleveland Cavaliers
By Adam McGee
Generally improved defense thwarted by Korver
Through two games, the Bucks’ defense has looked pretty good compared to its often porous 2016-17 iteration.
That proved mostly true on Friday, even as the Bucks gave up a significant amount of points in the paint in the first half. While that’s uncharacteristic and far from ideal, it’s not to be overlooked that being against the Cavaliers, a lot of that work was done by players of the caliber of LeBron James and Kevin Love.
In saying that, the Bucks’ defense did fall apart completely at one point on Friday night, and that was ultimately what took them out of the game.
Milwaukee’s problems have been well-documented when it comes to defending the three-point line, and as a result it’s unsurprising that one of the greatest three-point shooters of all-time was able to make them pay.
A third quarter burst from Kyle Korver turned a close game into a blow-out. Korver made three straight triples to turn a three-point deficit into a 12-point game, and just like that two-and-a-half quarters of good work was undone.
Jason Terry got torched by Korver in that span, and the 40-year-old should never have been tasked with picking up Korver in the first place. In other words, some poor judgement from the coach and the return of a familiar problem immediately robbed the Bucks of a game they could otherwise have won.