Discussing Damian Lillard and the Bucks in the second half
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Milwaukee Bucks won their fourth game in a row by beating Charlotte Hornets 111-99 on Thursday night at the Spectrum Center. It is the first time they’ve won that many in a row since rattling off seven straight from Dec. 11-23.
The Bucks (39-21) swept the four-game season series against the Hornets (15-44) and evened their record under Doc Rivers to 7-7.
Before the game Rivers said playing a team for the second time in three days always presents a challenge, especially considering the Bucks beat the Hornets by 38 on Tuesday. But Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford had noticed something about the Bucks at this point.
“I would say they’re a veteran team with a ton of talent and they’re in a place right now where they’re starting to feel good about themselves,” Clifford said before the game. “Even without (Khris) Middleton. And they’re saying, let’s get this going. That’s what I see in a general sense from the way they played in Minnesota to the way they played Philadelphia to the way they played the other night (against us).
BOX SCORE: Bucks 111, Hornets 99
“That’s when it’s fun when you’re running a team like that. When you’re involved with one of those veteran teams and you know you’re good it’s just a question of when do you want to get ready? To me, I watch them, well, they’re getting ready. Right now. And their confidence level is high.”
Rivers agreed with that assessment.
“A veteran team that knows like, listen this stretch, either we get it going or we don’t,” he said. “As I said when I first took the job, that doesn’t equate into wins right away or it could all be wins and you still not be ready. It’s more about being ready. And that’s what you can see, the urgency.”
They displayed that urgency in the opening minutes of the game, getting out to an 8-0 lead and they never really looked back. Milwaukee led by as many as 20 in the first half and 23 in the early part of the third quarter.
Charlotte never really challenged in the game, even as they got to within two possessions at one point in the second quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes. He sat down for good with the Bucks up 104-84 with 5 minutes, 17 seconds to go in the game. Malik Beasley (19), Damian Lillard (17) and Brook Lopez (11) were also starters that reached double figures.
The Hornets were led by rookie Brandon Miller, who scored 21. Grant Williams (17) and Seth Curry (13) reached double figures off the bench.
The Bucks end the evening percentage points behind Cleveland for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
“I just think that after the break, man, every game matters you feel me?” Bobby Portis said after the game. “You get into these in-season must-win games, lowkey, in the standings where you look at it. I look at it.
“I’m a fan of basketball, so you look at your opponent’s, you look at the Cleveland’s, look at the Celtics, look at the Knicks, you look at the Indiana Pacers, the guys that are right behind you or right in front of you and just want to win as many as you can. Every game matters. Every possession matters.
“I think we’re just sacrificing more in that and locking in more, being more focused, detail-oriented. We got great coaches, man that specifically tell you what they want and its easier to go out there and play when you know what’s expected of you.”
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Damian Lillard’s quick hands sparks key Bucks run
The Hornets had stayed connected to the Bucks into the second quarter, trailing 50-43 with just over five minutes to go in the first half after a Miles Bridges basket. Antetokounmpo followed with a dunk, and it appeared that Bridges was going to try and keep momentum going. He came off a screen that shed Jae Crowder, but Lillard flashed up to take on the bigger Hornets wing and his quick hands knocked the ball loose. The ball eventually was knocked into the backcourt, with Dāvis Bertāns eventually losing it out of bounds.
“He got caught on bigger guys tonight but if you put the ball in front of him Dame has unbelievable hands and he gets to it,” Rivers said. “He’s also going to the right spots in our rotations defensively and that’s been great, too.”
That led to a pair of Lillard free throws on the other end, and it sparked a 15-4 run that gave Milwaukee its biggest lead of the half at 67-47.
In that stretch Antetokounmpo scored five points and assisted on three-pointers by Beasley and Lillard.
“They have to, they have to,” Antetokounmpo said of Lillard and Beasley being effective point-of-attack defenders. “We’re going to be at our best when they have to. They can’t get screened. In our previous years when we were a good defensive team we had guys that was really hard to get screened.
“But that was a secret. We had guys that was very hard for them to get screened and they put pressure on the ball. Whenever Beas and Dame they’re out there pressuring the ball, fighting through screens, using their hands, they get deflections and not allow a pocket pass, like when they do their job it’s easier for the defense behind. We need them to keep on doing that. That’s when we are at our best.”
Ball movement goes from ‘good to great’ for Bucks
In their four wins out of the all-star break, the Bucks have assisted on 106 of their 169 field goals, or 62% of made baskets. It’s been one of several talking points for Rivers since taking over, and though no one Bucks player had an inordinate amount of individual assists against the Hornets the team swung the ball around consistently and effectively Thursday night.
The “hockey assist” was in full force, too, particularly early as the Bucks built a commanding lead, with players giving up their own good look for a teammate’s better one.
“It sure is nice,” Rivers said. “You need your stars to be the guys to make the right plays and they did that. Giannis and Dame started it and Brook tonight, extra passes. Bobby extra passes. Pat Connaughton walked by me in the third quarter and said ‘Is this what you mean by good to great?’ The fact that he’s thinking that is just good for our team. It helps everybody. It’s easy top lay hard on defense when you know the ball is played right on offense.”
Though the team’s three-point percentage eventually dropped to an average number for the game, they were 9 for 18 in the decisive first half.
“It’s starting to get contagious,” Beasley said. “I think people are excited to be next to their guy because you’re going to get the swing-swing. Bobby had what, four assists tonight and usually they don’t double-team him so the fact that he was able to get it out to us, it was a good feeling.”
Beasley, who often benefits the most from crisp ball movement, made 5 three-pointers for the 15th time this season. The Bucks are 11-4 in those games. Pat Connaughton also benefitted, scoring 11 points and hitting 2 three-pointers while making three free throws after being fouled on a corner attempt.
It was the first time Connaughton reached double figures since Feb. 6. Bobby Portis added 14 points and 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo said players are getting to the right spots on the floor in a quicker fashion, and in their current groove no player wants to be the one that stops the ball if there’s a greater option available.
“The ball finds energy,” Portis said. “You move the basketball, play free, drive and kick, I think the ball just finds the right man and everybody just lines it up and shoots it. Miss or make that’s the shot for that possession.”
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Five numbers
4 Games the Bucks held the Hornets under 100 points this season.
5 Technical fouls this season on Thanasis Antetokounmpo, after he picked up one while on the Bucks bench in the first quarter against Charlotte. Antetokounmpo appeared to not like the lack of a call on behalf of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had to fight through a couple of Hornets to put back an offensive rebound.
8 Straight points by the Bucks to open the game, and also consecutive three-pointers missed by the Hornets in the first quarter. Those streaks helped contribute to Milwaukee taking a 35-25 lead after the first quarter. Charlotte was just 2 for 11 from behind the three-point line while the Bucks started the game 3 for 4 from the field.
30-3 Bucks record when scoring 30 or more points in the first quarter.
20,717 Career points for Lillard after scoring 17 against Charlotte. That moved him past George Gervin for No. 45 all-time. After joining the 20,000-point club on Dec. 19, Lillard has quickly moved up the scoring ranks. On his current pace, Lillard has a chance to move as high as No. 41 by the end of this regular season. Only seven active players have more points than Lillard.
More: With the Bucks, Damian Lillard is no longer an overachiever. He’s just meeting his own expectations.
When will Khris Middleton play?
The three-time all-star sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of Milwaukee’s loss to Phoenix on Feb. 6 and has missed the last nine games. He did not travel with the team to Charlotte for Thursday’s game and Bucks head coach Doc Rivers wasn’t sure if Middleton would join the team in Chicago on Friday, but if he did he likely wouldn’t play.
It was a bit of turn from Tuesday when Rivers said, “If he goes, we think he may play. I think it’s that close. We got to be very careful with it.”
The 32-year-old played in 43 of the Bucks’ first 51 games, as he sat out one game of a back-to-back set seven times. He missed the Nov. 26 game against Portland with Achilles tendon soreness.
Middleton, who re-signed with the Bucks in the offseason, must play in 19 of the remaining 22 regular season games to receive a $1.5 million bonus.
More: The Bucks’ Khris Middleton opens up on getting through his toughest year and bouncing back
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
