Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 109-104 win over Sacramento Kings

Three-point struggles

As good as Milwaukee were from the free throw line on Saturday night, they were woeful from beyond the arc and it almost cost them in the end. The Bucks finished shooting 6-of-19 from deep, while the Kings finished with a very respectable 11-of-24 as they tightened the screws down the stretch.

Middleton finished with 3-of-5 for the night, as the rest of the Bucks’ roster shot 3-for-14 from deep. Those kind of numbers won’t win you many basketball games in 2017 and Milwaukee can thank their lucky stars Middleton showed up on the night.

Most alarming, however, for the Bucks was the ease with which Sacramento was able to continue knocking them down all night. Buddy Hield and Garrett Temple both hit four each on the night as they were continually left open, thanks to the Bucks’ inability to cover the extra pass defensively.

Much has been discussed about Milwaukee’s defensive system this season and Saturday night was yet another example of how far they still have to go.

Any team brave enough to make the extra pass will often be greeted by an open look as the swarming Bucks’ defense continue to overcommit the help defender. Most recently, Utah exploited this to score a franchise-high in threes made and the Kings were using this to their advantage also.

While it’s true that Milwaukee has made huge strides in making three-pointers this season. It is their inability to defend the three which continues to haunt them. This was yet another example of how far this system still has to go before it can ever call itself a viable long-term option in 2017.