Defense and rebounding doom the Bucks
In a game that felt like it could’ve easily been won, the Milwaukee Bucks were outdone at home by the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night, 132-119. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Milwaukee, finishing with 30 points on 14/21 shooting. Jaren Jackson Jr. was phenomenal on the other side, exploding for 37 points, including seven threes.
Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
What Did We Learn?
Yet again, the Bucks were troubled by an opponent’s offensive rebounding. The Grizzlies killed them on the glass all night long. When the final whistle blew, Memphis outmuscled Milwaukee on the offensive glass 21 to eight. Sheesh. Postgame, Doc didn’t shy away from that stat, mentioning how that was the main reason they lost that game:
“I just keep looking at the stops we did get, you know, and they kept getting rebounds back. And that was the difference in the game. 15 more shots.”
He then discussed how they were using Brook Lopez:
“I felt like we were leaking out more and going and then rebounding. The ball was bouncing on the floor a lot. So that means Brook was doing his job. He was keeping Edey off the glass or the bigs off the glass. That means that someone else has to come get that and they didn’t.
Doc then continued by saying that he felt as if there were at least five times where the Bucks had inside position but yet, were unable to haul in the rebound, calling it disheartening. Of course, they’re still without Bobby Portis. However, that type of commentary further epitomizes just how desperately this Bucks team needs another big. Defense as a whole has been a struggle for the entire team, even with Giannis sometimes playing a role in the infrastructure not being there. It’s going to be very interesting to see how Jon Horst works to address this next week.
Three Observations
The Grizzlies’ hustle was on full display.
No matter the situation, the Grizzlies were always zooming around the floor at 110%. Down the stretch, this was really exemplified. It seemed that every loose ball was falling into their hands the entire night (especially late in this one), and Doc elaborated on that in his presser:
“We just couldn’t get the ball back. You know, the ball was laying on the floor the entire game and they just kept coming up with it. I thought we had a chance to put them away…we didn’t. They saw blood in the water and they took it from there.
Taylor Jenkins is a fabulous coach and you can tell that he comes from the Budenholzer coaching tree. He’s done a fabulous job of instilling the intensity in his guys that can truly snatch games away, just like it did last night.
Khris Middleton is beginning to find his shot.
In what may have been the brightest area for the Bucks in this one, Khris Middleton had no trouble making an impact. Right out of the gate, he was discovering the net. He splashed home multiple threes in the first quarter. He’d finish with four threes on the night (4/5 from the arc) and shot 7/10 overall. With the trade deadline arriving next Thursday, it remains to be seen if he’ll be shopped around. Given the recent trade news of the NBA in the last 48 hours, anything can happen at this point.
AJ Green was felt off the bench.
After returning from injury in San Antonio on Friday night, AJ Green received 28 minutes of action in this one. He’d reach the double-digit point club on the evening, pouring in 14 points off the bench. His 3-point shot was effective, going 3/6 from the perimeter. Given how porous Milwaukee’s defense has been lately and throughout the last road trip, his defensive spurts will surely be welcomed as well. Regardless of what happens next Thursday and the days leading up to it, the Bucks will be happy that he’s back at full strength.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Pregame, Doc mentioned that the team still doesn’t know when Bobby Portis will return. He’s unsure if he’ll be on the flight today.
- Speaking of that blockbuster Luka trade, what was Doc Rivers’ reaction to it? Just like yours. He told us pre-game that he initially thought it was AI generated.
- Despite AJ Green turning in a well-rounded performance, there was still one moment that caused Bucks fans (and his teammates) to raise their hands in fun anger. In the second quarter, he had a perfect opportunity to send in a dunk on a fast-break. However, he instead opted to lay it in, much to the sadness of everyone in the arena. Who knows? Maybe he’s in on the bit at this point.
- It was interesting seeing the Grizzlies not hitting many threes, especially from Luke Kennard and Desmond Bane. In fact, Bane didn’t hit his only three of the night until there was about two minutes left.
- Giannis was abysmal from the line in this one, going 0/6. There were some attempts that were nearly air-balled too.
- With how bad the Bucks’ rebounding was, I’m curious how many boards Isaiah Hartenstein may get tonight against them. He’s been known to be a menace down low and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ate up second-chance opportunities in this one.
Up Next
The Bucks are now back in action tonight against the top seed in the western conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST in OKC on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin. You can also stream it on our Playback and YouTube channels.
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