Milwaukee Bucks opponents are shooting 34.4 percent from three over their winning streak.
Of course, a primary source of the Bucks being able to clamp down on their opponents in second halves has come down to defending the 3-point line better than they had been before the streak even began.
Over their last five games, the Bucks are allowing their opponents to shoot 34.4 percent from downtown on 34.4 3-point attempts per game.
Now this is the area in which there are multiple caveats to point out, the biggest being the kind of more reluctant offenses they faced when it comes to the 3-ball. Both the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers quickly come to mind as either squad didn’t have the firepower to hold up with the Bucks in any of those three tilts.
And just last time out, the Nuggets shot 15-for-36 from 3-point range (41.7 percent), though it should be pointed out that Denver went 5-for-15 from that range in their second half collapse.
While the Blazers were without C.J. McCollum, the Bucks did an excellent job of trying to make life difficult for Damian Lillard, who finished with the second-lowest scoring performance of the season. That came as a result of bringing Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis further up the floor when defending pick-and-rolls as a way to not Lillard get hot when firing away off the dribble.
It’s that kind of coverage changes that will be essential for the Bucks moving forward to run their opponents off of the 3-point line and limit the high-volume of open 3-point shots they generally allow. On that point, Bucks opponents are shooting 38.8 percent on their wide-open 3-point attempts during this stretch.
No matter the encouraging returns we’ve seen, the Bucks’ 3-point defense will always be a major topic of conversation, considering the slide they were on before this streak began. They’ve hit a lucky patch for now, but they’ll be tested shortly in this regard as their road trip continues.
Time will tell if the Bucks can maintain their winning ways when they take on the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night, but it’s clear they’re turning a corner and then some.