The Bucks have been dominating so far this year with a 34-6 record as of Saturday morning and are looking well on their way to having the best record in the NBA once again. Giannis Antetokounmpo has somehow improved upon a stellar year to provide tremendous impact on every facet of the game. Here's how the Bucks fared in their games so far this week (I'm writing this a few hours before they play in Portland tonight).
Monday: Spurs 126 Bucks 104 This game was marked by the Spurs having a ridiculous night shooting from three (19-35 for 54.3%). It also marked the 62nd game in a row the Bucks scored at least 100 points, giving them the record in a category that has absolutely zero relation to winning a championship. Obviously not an ideal percentage although interesting to note as this is not the first time it has happened to the Bucks this year. Currently the Bucks have the sixth worst opposing three point field goal percentage (36.9%). While this is less than ideal they are elite in the defense around the rim which helps make up for this gap. Giannis dropped a cool 24/12/8 shooting just under 50% from the field and making all four free throws. The rest of the starters were fairly lackluster with bench spark plugs
and George Hill dropping 16 and 15 respectively. DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 25 pairing nicely with 7 assists. The Spurs had big time contributions off the bench from Patty Mills (21 on 6-10 from three) and Rudy Gay (17 points and 8 rebounds). This game helps show you can never quite count the Spurs out whenever they have Gregg Popovich at the helm.
Wednesday: Bucks 107 Warriors 98
The Warriors have been the worst team in the NBA this year but showed tremendous scrap that, paired with an awful shooting night for the Bucks, made for an interesting game. The Bucks were 9-41 from three for 22% while their opponents once again shot well at 15-38 for 39.5%. Still, a formidable second quarter helped extend the Bucks lead enough for them to just outlast the Warriors for the second half. Giannis dropped a 30/13/4 going 9-13 from the line. Khris Middleton poured in a nice 21/7/6 with Bledsoe and Lopez rounding out the starters nicely with 16 and 12. Donte was solid off the bench with an 8/5/4 and 2 steals and Pat Connaughton with a 9/7. The Warriors distributed their scoring nicely with Alec Burks leading the way with a 19/5/7. Former All-Star and extreme role player Draymond Green only scored 5 but contributed elsewhere with 8 rebounds and assists, 2 steals and a block. Overall this Warriors team has shown to be surprisingly competitive given all their injuries and off-season losses. Bucks win, but in an extremely ugly fashion. Not a great two game start to the week.
Friday: Bucks 127 Kings 106
What appeared to be the third rough game of the week with the Bucks squeaking out to a 53-44 lead at halftime turned into a much more promising team performance. Finally the Bucks faced someone who didn't shoot above 39% from three but still struggled themselves. Giannis did not play well getting 13/10/5 on only shooting 9 times and went 4-8 from the line. Middleton (27/11/4) and Bledsoe (24/4/5) played well with both shooting over 50% from the field. Donte shined again with 18 points off the bench and Sterling Brown finally got some minutes, adding 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Kings had a well balanced attack with De'Aaron Fox 19/9/10, 4 steals, and 2 blocks leading the pack and Harrison Barnes pouring in 19 as well. The Kings continue to disappoint on the year, dropping to 15-24 and
that they don't make the playoffs. They look to have a promising young core in Fox, Hield, Bagley, and Bogdanovic with a new young coach in Luke Walton. We'll see if they can figure it out in the ever-competitive West. Now the Bucks finish up their road trip tonight in Portland and hopefully will start to get some more efficient performances under their belt.
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