All season long, the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled against quicker, faster and more athletic teams, largely due to the difference in age between the rosters.
While the new additions at the NBA Trade Deadline have helped the Bucks combat this issue to some extent in recent weeks, as the team is younger and better equipped to handle these teams now, their loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday highlighted that this issue isn't gone for good. The best way to understand the difference is by looking at offensive boards.
The Bucks had just four, while Houston had 16, including six by Jabari Smith Jr. alone, in what was a total display of dominance on the offensive glass.
Milwaukee Bucks can't protect the glass in close loss to Houston Rockets
The ever-energetic Rockets simply looked more motivated on the glass. Whenever someone wearing a white jersey shot the ball, bodies swarmed the paint. Someone would either directly grab the board, tip it out to another player or chase it down to keep the possession alive before another Buck was even in the same area code.
It was the 16 offensive rebounds that allowed Houston to put 16 second-chance points on the board. In a 100-97 loss, giving up that many points on extra opportunities stings. Had the Bucks hauled in a few more of these rebounds, this game might not have been close. That is especially true for the final quarter, where the Rockets turned up the intensity even further and hauled in six offensive rebounds to secure this victory late.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee's age showed on both ends of the floor. On their own end, the Bucks aren't a good offensive rebounding team because they have to get back or get blown by in transition, which held true in this game. On the other end, sure, the Rockets got a few lucky bounces, but they simply outhustled and outworked the Milwaukee Bucks consistently, using their athleticism, energy, hustle and sheer determination by not giving up on any play.
Bobby Portis currently being out of the lineup due to a suspension has undoubtedly hurt this team in the rebounding department, but even then, a 16-4 disadvantage is hardly excusable.
The rebounding disparity certainly wasn't the lone reason for the loss. Damian Lillard having himself another inefficient outing - shooting 7-of-22 for 22 points, Milwaukee's bench outside of AJ Green failing to provide much help and the Bucks' inability to hit clutch shots all played a part in their doom against Houston. However, given the difference, the rebounding certainly stands out.
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