Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to watch for in squaring off against Brooklyn Nets
Battle in the paint
Saturday evening will give the chance for Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer to face off against one of his former assistant coaches in Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson.
And as is the case with any coaches that came through Budenholzer’s coaching tree over the last few seasons, the Bucks will have to beat the Nets at what is their own game, given the similarities in how both teams operate stylistically.
There may be no better example of that than how both the Bucks and the Nets operate and defend the painted area. Case in point, Brooklyn ranks third in paint points per game (51) and are followed by the Bucks at fourth, who average 50.8 paint points per game.
How the two teams go about scoring in the paint couldn’t be different as the Nets generate the third-highest frequency of pick and rolls through a lead ball handler like Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie and/or Caris LeVert. The Nets also average the third-most drives per game (53.3). Milwaukee, on the other hand, log the third-lowest frequency of such plays and average 39.2 drives per game, which is down from the 48.5 drives per game they averaged over the 2019-20 campaign.
On the other side of the ball, the Bucks have been the best team in defending the paint all season long and surrender 38.3 opposing paint points per game. The Nets have shown their steel within the interior as they’re eighth in that department with 46 opposing paint points per game.
Which team will ultimately give is the big question, but it may be a game where the Bucks’ leading shot blocker, Brook Lopez, may feast in shutting down a Nets team that gets to the restricted area more than any other team in the NBA.
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The Bucks’ meeting with the Brooklyn Nets will tip off at 5pm central time Saturday evening and you can catch the action on Fox Sports Wisconsin or via NBA TV for those out of the area.