With a four-game winning streak on the line, the Milwaukee Bucks welcomed the LA Clippers to town in what turned into their most thrilling game of the year.
It was a closely knotted contest throughout the entire 48 minutes, but the Bucks prevailed in the end with a nail-biting 105-100 victory. It certainly poses an argument to be Milwaukee’s most impressive win of the season after taking down one of the league’s premier contending teams, something they have struggled with this year.
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Milwaukee’s current win streak now stands at five games, and their record improves to 21-13 on the season. After some early struggles, they are now just one game back from being the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
With all of that taken into account, the Bucks undoubtedly feel good about themselves after picking up this one, particularly after they were trailing heading into the fourth quarter.
As the adrenaline rush has finally settled, here are three takeaways from the Bucks’ massive win over the Clippers yesterday afternoon.
First takeaway from win over LA Clippers — Milwaukee Bucks dominate inside and in transition
The Bucks have been one of the best teams in the association at both scoring in the paint and in transition this season. These two aspects have helped propel their league-best offense, and their excellence in those areas played a crucial part in Sunday’s win.
Milwaukee took total control in the paint on both ends of the floor by outscoring LA 48-30 on the afternoon. With the Bucks shooting just 31.6 percent from behind the arc in the game, they had to shift their focus to scoring in the post and in the paint, and they did it to perfection.
Meanwhile, they were fantastic defensively by holding the Clippers to just 30 points inside. Shooting 31.8 percent from long range in the game, the Clippers could not find any rhythm shooting from the perimeter, and the Bucks eliminated their inside scoring as well by packing the paint.
The battle in transition between these two teams was not relatively close either, as the Bucks outscored the Clippers 22-2 in the game. Milwaukee is the most dangerous when they are out on the break, and they were running loose against LA all afternoon, which provided a sizeable boost for this offense. Holding the Clippers to just two points in transition for 48 minutes also deserves praise as the Bucks handled their business on the defensive end.
It was a fantastic display of two-way effort from the Bucks, and they will look to build some consistency off this performance moving forward.
Second takeaway from win over LA Clippers — Jrue Holiday understandably struggles in his return to action
After missing the last 10 games for the Bucks due to the league’s health and safety protocols, Jrue Holiday made his long-awaited return to the court Sunday afternoon. The guard has been sidelined for the previous three weeks, and that lack of action meant the Bucks would keep him on a tight leash.
In addition to bringing him off the bench for the first time this season, Holiday was also given a tight minutes restriction. That forced him to play just under 18 total minutes in the game, and he understandably looked rusty in his return.
Holiday scored a mere two points in the contest, shooting just 1-of-5 from the floor, including 0-of-3 from 3-point range. He did make a solid impact elsewhere by chipping in three assists and playing some much-needed defense.
Although he did not play the greatest overall, the Bucks are surely glad to have their usual starting point guard back on the floor after going 5-5 without him in this recent stretch. With one of their top players back in the lineup after a lengthy bout with COVID-19, the Bucks can finally continue their search for stability.
Holiday confirmed postgame that he indeed had tested positive for COVID-19 and had symptoms but noted that he is getting back up to speed now. With two games left to go until the All-Star break, Holiday will continue to regain his footing with the team and get his production back up to par.
Third takeaway from win over LA Clippers — Milwaukee Bucks get a dominant performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo had been dominant in Milwaukee’s previous four games leading up to this one, and he carried that over into this one against Los Angeles.
The Greek Freak poured in a game-high 36 points and shooting 15-of-27 from the floor, including 2-of-7 from long distance. Antetokounmpo provided a sizeable amount of the Bucks’ previously mentioned scoring barrage in the paint, scoring at will throughout the entire game.
This was apparent in the four quarter, as the two-time MVP took full control of the game late by scoring 17 of Milwaukee’s final 22 points. Giannis shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor in that span while chipping in a few extra points to his total at the free throw line.
The two-time MVP did far more than just score the basketball, as he added 14 rebounds and five assists. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year also racked up a steal and four blocks in the game, one of which was a phenomenal block on L.A.’s Ivica Zubac in the fourth quarter.
It was another sensational performance from Antetokounmpo, and it might have raised his stock in the current MVP discussion for this season. Nevertheless, Antetokounmpo’s all around display of dominance against the Clippers was something to behold and certainly ranks among his best outings of the year.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will look to keep this momentum going as they host the Denver Nuggets this Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. CST on Fox Sports Wisconsin for those viewing locally.