Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from frustrating loss to Atlanta Hawks

The Milwaukee Bucks get flat-out dominated by the Atlanta Hawks on the glass and in the paint

Circling back to the absence of Lopez and how that is impacting the team, they have been getting destroyed in the interior over these first few games. Opposing teams have been feasting on both the glass and in the paint offensively, which is exactly what the Hawks did to the Bucks last night.

Atlanta outrebounded Milwaukee 63-41 across 48 minutes, just an unfathomable disparity for a team like the Bucks. This hurt them, especially on the offensive glass, where the Hawks totaled 12 boards, while the Bucks pulled down a third of that. Atlanta took advantage as well by putting up 14 second-chance points on the scoreboard of these opportunities. While the Bucks have players like Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis in the frontcourt, the absence of Lopez has been missed as teams continue to pummel Milwaukee in the rebounding department.

The same goes for Milwaukee’s interior defense, which has been abysmal over these past several games, particularly on this road trip. The Bucks gave up 52 paint points to the Hawks last night as they managed to score just 34 of their own. Capela got several looks at the hoop offensively, but it was his teammate in John Collins that punished the Bucks inside. The high-flying forward put on a showcase as he hammered home several vicious dunks to exploit Milwaukee’s lack of size down in the post.

This trend is starting to get concerning for the Bucks, especially as there is no timetable for Lopez to return from his nagging back soreness. Knowing that it is a long season, the team will not rush back the big man, so he could be out for quite some time. In that case, the front office should look into their options when it comes to adding a replacement, or they might be doomed to keep being outmatched in the post.