Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 134-101 win over New York Knicks

Second takeaway from win over New York Knicks — Milwaukee Bucks dominate in the post and in transition defensively

Milwaukee’s defense has been hit or miss this season, but there is no doubt that they were clicking in the win over New York.

Despite having given up 101 points as the final buzzer sounded, the Bucks allowed a measly 32 points in the paint all night, while managing to score 52 of their own. Paint defense has been Milwaukee’s calling card throughout the Mike Budenholzer era, and this game was a prime example of that.

This heavy mismatch was largely thanks to a heroic defensive performance from big man Brook Lopez, who finished with a season-high five blocked shots.

Lopez has received his share of recent criticism for his potentially obsolete fit on this roster, but he showcased just how impactful he can be for this defense in the win. Whether or not this is sustainable remains to be seen, but it was relieving to see him turn back to the clock to what fans have gotten so accustomed to seeing these last two seasons.

While Lopez and the Bucks had the paint on lock, they were just shy of perfect with their transition defense as well. The Knicks managed to score just one fastbreak point in the contest, a testament to just how well this Milwaukee team was at getting back on defense for all 48 minutes.