Bucks vs. Hawks: Feelin’ free in Peachtree

Milwaukee’s late-game execution came up trumps once again

The Milwaukee Bucks pulled out the 127-121 victory in a seesawing affair with the Atlanta Hawks. Giannis racked up a 26-12-10 triple-double, while Dame had 23 points and four assists. Overall, the Bucks had six players score in double figures, continuing a team scoring trend since the All-Star break. For Atlanta, Trae Young had 28 points and 13 assists, while Dyson Daniels (AKA the Great Barrier Thief) had 16 points, six assists, nine rebounds, and two steals. 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?

Can you imagine how the no-Dame/Giannis lineups would be doing if Kevin Porter Jr. was not on the team? They’d be looking at Kyle Kuzma as a primary option which, not to talk down a guy who’s been largely additive for Milwaukee, but that is simply not Kuzma’s game. Ergo, Doc is really going to ride or die putting the ball in KPJ’s hands with Kuz as a slasher, Jericho Sims as a roller, and two shooters… and it’s working!?

Porter had two shot attempts and two assists in the first half; he had five shot attempts in the second half. The result? An extremely efficient 15 points on 6/7 shooting, continuing his positive streak of impacting the game on very reasonable volume. Postgame, Kevin spoke about the balance he’s trying to find leading the second unit:

“To start the game, I’m trying to get my guys [going]. I’m surrounded by shooters; you make them happy, they make life easier for me… I know when it comes down to it, I can score and be more aggressive. So that’s what you saw tonight. Second half, I felt like I needed to be more aggressive downhill, so I turned it up a little bit.”

Dame said that in a back-and-forth game, players with Porter’s skillset are really helpful to keep it close:

“Scoot, being another ball-handler, playmaker, somebody that can just break guys down and get buckets, get into the paint. He’s been huge for us in a number of games already.”

Three Observations

This was probably Kyle Kuzma’s best game as a Buck.

The worry many had with Kuz when Milwaukee traded for him was him trying to prove he can be something he’s not. He’s not a third offensive option on this team, and trying to be so would be foolish. But I think Kyle can be an asset when used correctly. You get the durability to play heaps of minutes which is very helpful; you get the size, ability to make advanced pick-and-roll reads, rebounding, and defensive foot speed. The trick is figuring how to use him on offence as a scorer, and I thought his game last night—going 7/10 from the field and 1/2 from three (with 10 rebounds and just one turnover)—was very close to the idealised version of him. For example, you’re going to get the cutting:

The transition playmaking:

But in the half court, this is the type of thing I personally think he should lean right into:

Kuz can seek out mismatches by screening players he wants to attack. Teams switch a lot these days to stay out of rotation. As you can see, Kyle screens Trae Young, Young notices the mismatch and orchestrates what’s commonly referred to as a “scram switch,” “three-way switch,” or an “X out,” where he calls Caris LeVert over to take Kuz and “scrams” out of there onto LeVert’s man. Regardless, Kuz still has a mismatch on Caris and attacks from a comfortable spot on the elbow for the up-and-under floater. Good stuff.

Milwaukee won in other ways than they usually do.

The Bucks average the second-highest three-point percentage in the NBA at 38.2% but shot just 29.7% last night—they still scored 127 points. That offensive production came from shooting 51% from the field (they average 41.8%) and above average from the free throw line. To fight through a slump from distance the way they did is a credit to the team.

There’s still have some work to do cleaning up defensive transition.

Atlanta bested Milwaukee 28-17 in fast-break points, which, of course, was a massive issue under Adrian Griffin last season. Doc was not overly worried about it in his postgame comments, but did flag some simple improvement areas:

“I just thought they got in transition early. They made two or three threes off our missed layups. Second half, I thought we were way better. We show video at halftime where, first three steps [in defensive transition] we were jogging, and they were running by us. Second half, we didn’t do that.”

Bonus Bucks Bits

The late-game possessions where Giannis dribbles the ball up the court and attacks from an empty-side wing off no passes befuddle me. I’d understand if he’s playing against a mismatch and the other team is sending an immediate double (like the Mavs game), but the Hawks had Okongwu guarding GA, who’s always been one of the best Giannis-defenders. Anecdotally, it usually seems to result in a bunch of standing around and a tough shot. The difference when they moved the ball and did a Giannis-Dame pick-and-roll was stark and resulted in two great looks at the rim. Maybe Dame’s face/eye injury had something to do with it, but if not, I don’t understand that strategy at all.
I still think that starting Green or Trent would be a better move than Prince in the starting lineup. However, I must give TP credit for his defence over the last two games guarding Kyrie Irving and Young. Still, defending that level of player takes all five guys; I thought Brook was excellent in the drop, especially late in the game. Prince leads the way, but the team defence is helping carry its weight, too.
Gary Trent Jr. went 4/4 inside the arc. Did someone say two-level scorer? (This is an ode to our Morgan Ross).
Kuz going from doubtful to playing in 24 hours is crazy, no?
Mouhamed Gueye, a 25.0% three-point shooter, made 4/6 against the Bucks…

Up Next

The Bucks get right back to it tonight against the (even more) depleted Dallas Mavericks at 7:00 p.m. (Central). Watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin or stream it on our Playback and YouTube channels.