3 key as Milwaukee Bucks finish homestand vs Washington Wizards
How will the Milwaukee Bucks fare in their second crack at the Washington Wizards’ defense?
The Wizards were one of the more interesting early-season success stories when they started 10-3 (including a win over the Bucks) and it was on the strength of their defense. They had the fifth-best defensive rating at 102.7 while having an offensive rating that was in the bottom half of the league.
They allowed the fifth-fewest shots at the rim and the fewest 3-point attempts in those first 13 games and they were seeing the results of that. Since that game, they’re still allowing the sixth-fewest percentage of shots at the rim and the second-fewest percentage of 3s, but their defensive rating has plummeted to the fourth-worst at 114.6.
The Bucks saw the brunt of that early defensive success as they shot a ton of midrange jumpers against them in their first meeting and shot below 30 percent from3 as well as a little over 61 percent at the rim (league average is over 64 percent this season).
The Wizards have not gotten the same shooting luck that they did on opponent 3s to begin the season. Washington’s opponents are shooting over five percent better from 3 since the first 13 games of the season at 36.7 percent (the fifth-highest mark in that time) and over a percent above league average.
The Bucks (and most modern NBA teams) thrive on getting 3-pointers and shots at the basket, so it will likely be difficult to get a high volume of those chances, but they’ll need to be able to convert on the ones that they do get.
Giannis Antetokounmpo went 12-of-22 on 2-point shots in the first game and was only 5-of-12 from the free-throw line. Additionally, Jrue Holiday was still feeling the effects of his ankle sprain and can partially explain the 6-of-16 shooting night.
It will also mean a heavy dose of midrange shots, which Khris Middleton thrives on. He didn’t play in the first meeting and the Wizards conceding a ton of midrange looks will only benefit Middleton.