Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways From Loss To Philadelphia 76ers
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Despite a valiant comeback, the Milwaukee Bucks lost a nail-biter to the Philadelphia 76ers last night. With that, we break down what stood out the most for the Bucks.
Following their encouraging victory on Monday night, the Milwaukee Bucks were back in the losing column once again, this time coming at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, losing 114-109.
From the opening tip, the Bucks played with a commanding pace, taking an early lead as their offense erupted out of the gates. However, the second quarter wound up being something of a nightmare for the Bucks.
Whether it was their sloppy play on the offensive end or offering little resistance defensively, the 76ers blew open the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Bucks 39-19.
From then on, the Bucks were forced to play catch up and as the 76ers’ hot shooting came back down to Earth, the Bucks drew the lead back down to single digits entering the fourth quarter.
With Greg Monroe leading the way, the Bucks continued to build on their comeback throughout the fourth quarter, eventually breaking through to regain the lead at the 5:56 mark of the period.
However, no lead was safe as control of the game changed hands 10 times over the course of the final minutes of the game until the Bucks found themselves trailing in the final seconds of the game. Unfortunately, costly turnovers late on prevented the Bucks from ensuring a comeback victory, leaving them now 21-24 on the season.
So with that to set the stage, let’s take a deeper look at who and what stood out the most for the Bucks last night.
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Oh, The Moose Was Loose
Although it came in a losing effort, Greg Monroe arguably delivered his best performance in a Bucks uniform last night.
With Miles Plumlee struggling during his time on the court and John Henson registering another DNP-CD, Monroe was handed the lion’s share of the team’s center minutes by playing nearly 30 minutes. Monroe was up to the task, though, as he scored 28 points (on 11-of-17 from the field), grabbed nine boards, dished out four assists and was a +9 during his time on the court.
All throughout the night, Monroe was a problem the Sixers couldn’t solve. His size was too much for any of the team’s bigs to handle, doing work down low, feasting off of second chance scores and making his way to the free-throw line where he shot 6-of-7.
In addition to his fine scoring night, Monroe’s effort on the defensive end was off the charts. While he only registered one steal on the night, he played inspired defense and his energy, most notably when he was diving for loose balls with the game on the line was incredibly encouraging to see.
If all that wasn’t enough, Monroe unleashed what might be the “And-One” yell of all “And-One” yells, which didn’t even come on a basket of his own (imagine this echoing throughout the grand canyon).
Moose with the "AND ONE" call for the ages! pic.twitter.com/OuuuYqvlL5
— Behind the Buck Pass (@BehindTheBucks) January 26, 2017
Unfortunately, it’s a shame Monroe’s performance went all for naught with the team losing in heartbreaking fashion. Hopefully, it’s not the same when he delivers a similar performance the next time around.
A Tough Night For Giannis
Pivoting from the team’s top performer, last night was particularly frustrating for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
His box score line might not suggest that as Giannis scored 17 points, hauled in 12 rebounds, handed out five assists and garnered four steals in 39 minutes of play. But Giannis struggled to find any rhythm offensively, shooting 7-of-19 from the field and going 0-of-7 from the three-point line.
A lot of that falls on how the Sixers defended Giannis, limiting many scoring chances in transition as well as packing the paint in halfcourt situations. That, in turn, forced Giannis away from doing what he does best on the offensive end as the 76ers were content to play off of him as he launched away from beyond the arc.
On the other hand, the brunt of Giannis’ ineffectiveness falls squarely on his shoulders as the ball often stuck to him for lengths of time, resulting in less than ideal possessions like in the following clip.
This possession stood out to me as everything wrong with the Bucks' offense tonight. Not enough ball movement, not enough player movement. pic.twitter.com/7KmzzhqOIw
— Adam McGee (@AdamMcGee11) January 26, 2017
All in all, it was a disappointing night for the team’s All-Star and we can only hope it’s just a self-contained performance.
Signs Of Life For Mirza
Many Bucks fans (okay, it might just be me) have been on the edge of their seat waiting, hoping and wishing to see the three-point specialist that is Mirza Teletovic catch fire from deep after his recent three-pointer less stretch. Well, the wait is finally over.
Once again getting the call over Michael Beasley for the second straight game, Teletovic delivered solid minutes and more importantly, hit from beyond the arc for the first time in over two weeks as he scored 10 points and went 3-of-8 from the three-point line.
It was undoubtedly refreshing to see Mirza regain his three-point stroke and true to form, all three of his three-point makes came within a span of three minutes and twenty-four seconds between the first and second quarters. In addition to his shooting night, Teletovic showed flashes of playmaking ability by creating scores off the dribble as he registered three assists.
While Mirza’s individual success was a welcomed turn of events, what stood out the most was how effective the team was overall with him on the court. In his 19 minutes of play, Teletovic was a +11, which only trailed Malcolm Brogdon on the night.
By no means was last night a “return to form” for Teletovic with how his efficiency shook out on the night. However, the fire that is his shot has been stoked once again and it’s only a matter of time until we see it grow (cues up gif of Tom Hanks yelling “I have made fire!” from Castaway).
Ah, That Three-Point Defense
While we’re on the subject of three-point related matters, it’s time to check in on the team’s three-point defense.
The bulk of the 76ers’ makes from downtown came early in the game as they shot 9-of-13 from deep throughout the first half. Many of those undefended makes were key in blowing open the game during the team’s 31-7 run that closed out the second quarter.
While the 76ers’ three-point shooting cooled off in the second half, the Bucks’ renewed defensive effort in the second half didn’t extend to defending the three-point line as the near constant ball movement of the 76ers still led to many wide open attempts that just didn’t go in.
Finishing 12-of-26 from deep on the night, the 76ers’ effectiveness from beyond the arc did little to reverse the recent trends the Bucks’ defense has shown since the start of the calendar year.
With no end seemingly in sight, the team’s three-point defense will surely be a hot topic among fans, arguably even if we somehow see a difference in the near future.
The Bucks will have a tough test if they want to bounce back as they face the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
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