In a previous game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Doc Rivers used one lineup for nearly the entire fourth quarter, which led to their historic 24-point comeback. That group featured Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green and Bobby Portis.
Against the Detroit Pistons, he used that exact lineup for 99 percent of the fourth quarter. He stuck to his guns, and it played a big part in the Bucks clinching the fifth seed in the East.
The question was if and when Doc Rivers was going to break the momentum that this lineup was creating. To his credit, he realized that he had stumbled upon something special. There was no need to put anyone else on the court. That not only applies to this game. There is no question that moving forward, this is the lineup that needs to be used for every fourth quarter.
It all starts with defense with this particular lineup
The key to this lineup is the energy that they exert on the defensive end. It was the only way they could have overcome that 24-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Wolves. In the final period, they had six steals and one block. They also held Minnesota to 20 percent shooting. All the steals and blocks were from KPJ and Bobby Portis. Against Detroit, they recorded four steals and two blocks in the fourth quarter. They also held them to 39 percent shooting. This time, everyone contributed.
AJ Green blocked a floater from Dennis Schroder. Gary Trent Jr. went diving to the floor, which resulted in a jump ball. He also recorded two steals in the final period. Kevin Porter Jr. played the passing lanes extremely well, which created two more steals. And Giannis was the ultimate rim protector. He stood his ground to crash the boards, and he destroyed any chances of a comeback by blocking Malik Beasley’s 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining.
It’s that kind of energy and focus on defense that has been the key to their seven-game winning streak. But the fact that they’re saving their best in the fourth quarter is what has truly made the difference. They have realized that they’re not going to close out games, thanks to the talent of one player. It’s going to take the collective group to create stops and easy offense.
They Bucks are using a balanced scoring attack
It wasn’t one player that prevented the Pistons from winning the game and clinching the fifth seed. Giannis, KPJ, Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green all scored six points in the fourth quarter.
As expected, the defense collapsed on Giannis at the beginning. They were expecting him to take over. Instead, Giannis displayed a lot of maturity in not going rogue in this mission. He continued setting up his teammates. That resulted in his fifth double-digit assist performance in six games. He posted 15 total assists.
That certainly played a big part in the Milwaukee Bucks converting four 3-pointers during the final period. That is one of the biggest benefits of playing with a player like him. You’re going to receive so many open looks, and this group is doing its job of knocking them down. Their opponents are being forced to respect the shot-making abilities of the other four players.
That, in turn, is opening up the floor for Giannis. Instead of trying to force the issue and barrelling his way to the rim, he is allowing his teammates to create shots for him. And when he’s facing single coverage, all the defender can do is duck. By no surprise, two of his three field goals came in the form of dunks.
His final field goal came by tipping in a missed field goal. This is another aspect in which this group excels. They were able to pull down five offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. They were able to create second-chance opportunities by simply not giving up on the play. That’s one thing this group doesn’t do: give up. They didn’t when they were down by 24 points against the Wolves, and they certainly won’t do it with playoff seeding on the line.
This group has already proved they can work miracles. With the playoff picture already set, we wait and see if they have more miracles in them for a deep playoff run.