The Milwaukee Bucks aimed to make it four consecutive wins as they squared off against the Golden State Warriors in a thrilling matchup last night.
Milwaukee was without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was a late scratch due to his recent battle with knee soreness. Of course, being without the two-time MVP put the Bucks at a sizeable disadvantage, but this was a game that they had in the bag until the closing minutes.
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Following a scorching 41-point performance from Golden State’s Stephen Curry and an abysmally executed final play coming out of the timeout, the Bucks fell 122-121.
It undoubtedly ranks among the team’s most heart wrenching defeats this season, particularly with Milwaukee losing more ground on gaining that top seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
Nevertheless, the Bucks will have to put this one in the rearview and look ahead to Thursday’s matchup and a chance to get back into the win column. However, while Tuesday’s dreadful defeat is still fresh in our minds, let us look at three takeaways from the contest.
Milwaukee Bucks gave up far too many second chance opportunities
No matter how big Milwaukee’s lead ballooned to, Golden State’s ability to snatch offensive rebounds and put second chance points on the board kept them in the game.
Crashing the glass consistently, the Warriors totaled 12 offensive rebounds, which helped them add an extra 17 points to their total on the night. In a game in which the Bucks lost by just one, giving up that many extra opportunities to their opponent surely stings after surrendering a comfortable double-digit lead late.
Furthermore, this was just poor execution from the Bucks, given the Warriors season statistics in both of these categories. Golden State entered this matchup tied for dead last in the association in both offensive rebounds (7.9) and second chance points (10.2) per game. However, that was not the case in their win last night as they dominated the Bucks handily in both areas from start to finish.
Had it not been for an offensive rebound from Kelly Oubre Jr. off an Andrew Wiggins’ missed triple, the mood would be much brighter in Milwaukee. However, as the story went all night, Golden State snatched the board and put two extra points on the board that would put them up by one point and soon win them the game.
"We gotta get that rebound and we win the game. I think, it's just you gotta go get it and you gotta pursue it." - Mike Budenholzer on the Bucks' final defensive possession
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 7, 2021
It was evident all night that not having Antetokounmpo’s sizeable presence down low took a toll on Milwaukee, particularly defensively. It did not help the Bucks could not conjure up some of that same ability by hauling in just six offensive rebounds and putting up seven extra points, but the glaring issue remains how the Warriors took advantage.