Lopez has been winning the battle of the big men
Bucks center prevailing at both ends of the court
DETROIT - The difference between the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons has been stark this series as the Bucks have taken a commanding 3-0 lead into Game 4 at 7 p.m. Monday at Little Caesars Arena.
Milwaukee has dominated each matchup, outscoring Detroit by 72 points over the three contests — a number that has only been exceeded by the Showtime Lakers through the first three games of a postseason.
The Bucks have followed the same script they used throughout the season as they have dominated the paint — 52.7 paint points per game on 63.7% shooting — while spreading the court with a high-volume barrage of three-pointers. Defensively, they have suffocated the Pistons, snuffing them out inside — Detroit's 41.5% shooting on two-point shots is the second-worst in the playoffs this season — while coaxing contested, above-the-break three-pointers.
Nowhere has the difference between the two teams been as starkly visible as the individual matchup between centers Brook Lopez and Andre Drummond. One has revolutionized his team on both ends, embodying the shifting
NBA while the other has looked like a relic of years past.
“He’s not your conventional big," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Lopez. "He’s going to play around the perimeter a lot. His spacing is great, his ability to make threes. … He’s a really skilled guy at the end of the day. He helps us a ton.”
Lopez is averaging 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game so far this series. On Saturday, he put up 19 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.
He's made 6 of 15 three-pointers (40%) while stepping out as far as 30 feet. If the big-bodied Drummond hangs back in the paint, Lopez is a threat to shoot. If he tries to deny Lopez along the perimeter, Lopez can drive or act as a decoy, with his teammates taking advantage of the extra space afforded them with Drummond's rim protection out of the picture.
At the other end, Lopez has swallowed up Drummond. At 7-feet, 270 pounds, Lopez has the height and bulk to bow up to Drummond on backdowns and drives. His patience and ability to both keep his feet set and his arms vertical have flustered Detroit's big man, including in the first half Saturday. That's when Lopez blocked Drummond three times in the opening five minutes and played a major role in holding him to a 1 of 9 start to the game.
As a smattering of boos rained down from the sellout crowd at Little Caesars Arena directed at Drummond, it was mostly due to Lopez's affect on him.
“I’m just trying to do my job," Lopez said. "It gives me a lot of confidence when I have guys like Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Bled (Eric Bledsoe) behind me making it difficult, making that extra pass difficult. The whole team obviously has to take control of the offensive boards, take that away from them. We’ve been doing a great job of that as well, so that gives me peace of mind to do my job.”
Lopez is doing more than just blanketing Drummond and helping hold him to 44.7% shooting this series. The anchor of Milwaukee's defense who contested nearly 300 more shots than any other NBA defender this season has remained a focal point in the postseason. Whether matched up against bigs like Drummond, Blake Griffin or Thon Maker or switched onto a guard, Lopez has successfully directed traffic in the paint and altered shot after shot.
Through three games, Lopez has contested 21.7 shots per game, the most of any player these playoffs. On shots he's defended, opponents are shooting just 38.6% according to NBA.com. Drummond is close behind Lopez in terms of defended field-goal attempts but isn't nearly influencing them at the same rate as the Bucks have shot 60.7% against him.
“He’s been great all year," Bucks wing Khris Middleton said of Lopez. "I didn’t know how good of a shot blocker he was initially until we got him this year. He protects the rim. He covers a lot of ground for us. He covers up a lot of mistakes for us. We’re able to be aggressive on the perimeter, just try to deny and go backdoor because we know he’ll be there waiting at the rim for us. ...
"On the defensive side, he does so much for us I don’t think a lot of people realize.”