Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 109-96 loss to Indiana Pacers
By Adam McGee
Offensive ineptitude
On the nights when the Bucks’ star power proves not to be enough to guide them to victory, things can get really ugly in a hurry.
Monday fit that bill, as the Bucks failed to move the ball, looked disinterested in creating space and generally settled for a stagnant, stuck in the mud, offensive effort.
No Buck had more than four assists, and the team as a whole managed just 18 in total. Without purposeful ball movement or players looking to making intelligent cuts or dives around the basket, Milwaukee needed to create fastbreak opportunities.
A total of 16 fastbreak points in that regard was nothing out of the ordinary, and with the game’s pace playing out below Milwaukee’s season average, it was almost impossible to spot any signs of a concerted offensive push before Brown and Sean Kilpatrick fueled a fourth quarter run.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had little difficulty getting to the free throw line at his regular rate, but he only managed to match John Henson‘s eight field goal attempts on the night. Considering Milwaukee’s best player is usually closer to 20 field goal attempts, that’s a big problem.
FUN FACT: Giannis’s 8 FGA was his lowest since 1/10/17 (Beasley game vs SAS) where he only played 9 minutes (sickness) and had 3 FGA. Excluding that game, lowest since 4/11/16 where he had 5 FGA
— Rohan Katti (@RKattiJr) January 9, 2018
Overall, the Bucks lacked execution and any real signs of effort on the offensive end. The same could be said for the team’s defense, but with so much time generally spent talking about the defensive struggles, it’s important to remember that the offense can be equally problematic.