With four seconds left in a tied game, Damian Lillard stepped to the foul line and drained a pair of free throws to give the Milwaukee Bucks a three-point edge over the Indiana Pacers. With that much time left on the clock, it was obvious the Pacers were going for a triple. The one thing that the Bucks could not do was foul someone on a 3-pointer.
.....
Improbably, Tyrese Haliburton hit a floating 3-pointer in the corner, and as if that wasn't bad enough, he was also fouled by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Haliburton stepped to the line and sunk his shot with ease. Without a timeout, the Milwaukee Bucks had to go the full length of the floor in a few seconds, and though they did that, the final shot was a 3-point try by Giannis - not exactly what you want.
It missed.
Given how they lost and how important a game against the Pacers, a team they are neck and neck with in the East standings, this loss is beyond frustrating. Yet, considering everything that transpired over the previous 47.6 minutes, the Milwaukee Bucks were lucky to be in this position anyway. One issue on display for the world to see was the difference in fastbreak success.
The Bucks clearly have some flaws, and they were on display in this one
The Pacers put up 31 fastbreak points in this contest, and the Bucks had just three. That's not a typo.
Just like last season, Indiana's speed, athleticism and quickness gave Milwaukee issues all night long, especially on the break. Whenever the Pacers got out in transition, the Bucks oftentimes looked lost. It constantly felt like no one knew who to guard, and a Pacer was consistently open on the perimeter as a result, leading to some great looks and makes for Indy.
Meanwhile, the Bucks had little to no success. Kyle Kuzma had been a huge help in this regard lately, but with nine points on nine shot attempts, he was relatively quiet in this one. Giannis would usually do a good amount of damage here, but the Pacers did a great job of keeping him at bay for most of the evening. None of the other Milwaukee Bucks had much success either, obviously.
Being outscored by 28 points on the break highlights how the Milwaukee Bucks, despite their moves to address this very same issue at the NBA Trade Deadline, still have a hard time competing with their younger and more athletic counterparts. It's an issue that doomed Milwaukee in the NBA Playoffs last season, and if they don't find a way to combat this, it could very well be their downfall again.
Above all else, the Milwaukee Bucks have to do a better job of getting back on defense and finding their individual matchups when their opponents are out and running. That wasn't the lone reason for their failure to win this particular game, as the team had countless low-IQ turnovers and got a poor game from Damain Lillard, but this stat looms large over Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been stuck in the mud lately, and this three-game losing streak proves it's time for them to turn up the intensity.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.