The Milwaukee Bucks kicked off their toughest road swing with a 129-105 defeat to the L.A. Clippers Monday night that was truly hard to swallow, given how it all started.
Milwaukee got off to a rousing start on the night and put their best foot forward by taking a commanding 12-point lead that was fueled by a swarming defensive performance. From the second quarter onwards, though, that all gradually disappeared, especially as the Bucks were mired by a brutal cold spell offensively.
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The second half saw the Clippers absolutely dissect the Bucks, setting the stage for their lights out shooting performance and blowout victory. The loss now puts the Bucks on a three-game losing streak, which continues the highs and lows we’ve seen consistently this year.
So without further ado, let’s break down what all stood out in the Milwaukee Bucks’ defeat to the L.A. Clippers.
Milwaukee Bucks suffer self-inflicted lapses in loss to Clippers
There was no shortage of ways that the Bucks doomed themselves in their loss to the Clippers last night.
Their extended offensive slump midway through the second quarter opened the door for the Clippers to regain their ground after falling into a 12-point deficit. From the 10:31 mark of the second quarter to the 3:24 mark, the Bucks scored just six points and their offense stalled out completely with Jrue Holiday on the bench.
Holiday, in particular, was central to keeping the Bucks within distance of the Clippers when the game was competitive and it paved the way for him to score 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting (3-for-8 from three), seven assists, four rebounds and three steals in 35-and-a-half minutes of burn.
While Milwaukee was eventually able to break out of their second quarter dry spell, their inability to clean up on the defensive glass and finish out stops absolutely doomed them all night long. Outrebounded 53-39 on the night, the Bucks allowed the Clippers to pick up 13 offensive rebounds which led to 25 second chance points on the night, which ties the most second chance points the Bucks have allowed in a game this season, per NBA.com/stats.
Those second chance scores served as backbreakers for the Bucks every time and with the margins tipped towards the Clippers’ way, it only makes sense it led to such a throttling by the final buzzer.
The Milwaukee Bucks saw the Clippers light it up in loss Monday night
Milwaukee’s second half collapse was made so by the Clippers catching fire from 3-point range, especially over the second half. The Clippers shot 19-for-34 on the night and went 14-for-18 from that range in the second half. The 55.9 percent they shot from long distance is the third-highest mark they’ve set for a game this year.
Seeing such firepower from the league’s best 3-point shooting team came as no surprise and seeing the Bucks struggling to defend the 3-point line wasn’t the same story we’ve seen before, though the same results still surfaced.
The Bucks regularly deployed different defensive coverages as the night progressed, whether it was their traditional drop-back coverage, switching 1-through-5 or extensively throwing out various zone looks.
However, the overhelping that largely remained from the Bucks’ defense throughout led the Clippers regularly making the extra pass to corner 3-point shooters, which continued their shooting onslaught. L.A. shot 6-of-12 on corner shots last night.
While the process continues to evolve as far as the Bucks’ defensive tinkering is considered, the same problem remains, especially as the Bucks’ opponent 3-point shooting luck has ran out.
Giannis Antetokounmpo shows signs of progress for the Milwaukee Bucks
After having rested in the Bucks’ loss to the New York Knicks last time out, Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to shake off some rust.
That was apparent by his hot start from the opening tip as he cracked double digits nearly seven minutes into the night, which was helped by Antetokounmpo cashing in his pair of triples for the night. However, Antetokounmpo’s hot start quickly went cold as the first half progressed as he uncharacteristically struggled converting bunnies at the basket and showed some passiveness when similar opportunities presented themselves.
While the Bucks struggled to find any answers in terms of slowing down the Clippers, Antetokounmpo bounced back as he started to put his head down again towards the rim again. That, in turn, generated trips to the free throw line and eventually helped him score more points than his last two appearances combined.
All in all, Antetokounmpo finished with a game-high 32 points on 10-for-21 shooting (2-for-5 from three, 10-for-12 from the free throw line), six rebounds, three assists, two turnovers and a block in more than 33-and-a-half minutes of action.
Again, it wasn’t a perfect performance from Antetokounmpo and the Bucks would do well in trying to ease the burden on his shoulders by increasing his usage as a screener and generating easier looks for him against a rotating defense. However, with his legs under him, the 26-year-old will put down the very scores that are automatic to him.
The Bucks will look for a much-needed victory when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night for a 9 p.m. CST tilt. You can catch the action on ESPN where it will be nationally televised.