Wasting little time turning things around
Giannis’ return helps Milwaukee bounce back
ATLANTA - For better and worse, Sunday afternoon was all about rebounding for the Milwaukee Bucks.
On the positive side, the Bucks remained unbeaten in games after a defeat by bouncing back from Friday’s loss in Washington and ultimately running away with a 133-114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Sunday afternoon. Milwaukee’s rebound to the win column marked the 12th time in as many chances that they’ve recorded a victory immediately following a defeat.
“I think to come in here and get a win on the road – we’ve been out for a little bit, day games are not always easy – but a pretty decent, consistent effort for all four quarters,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It’s good for us to get this game.”
It helped to have Giannis Antetokounmpo back on the court after missing Friday’s game with right quadriceps soreness and a left hip contusion. Milwaukee’s star filled up the stat sheet against the Hawks, collecting 33 points along with six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes.
However, he’s still not totally recovered. He opened the game by connecting on a couple midrange shots and a three-pointer in the first quarter, saying he took those shots because he was hurting and couldn’t get to the paint.
Antetokounmpo eventually did get to the paint – often earning trips to the free-throw line where he was 14 of 19 on the night.
“Health-wise, I’m not 100 percent yet but hopefully moving forward I’m going to get there,” Antetokounmpo said. “Coach Bud and the team, they don’t want me to manage pain so that’s why we took the game off. Moving forward, hopefully, I can get the right treatment and heal and go into Miami healthy.”
Antetokounmpo got plenty of help, particularly from Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe. Middleton got going early, using drives to the hoop to score 10 of his 17 points in the first quarter. He also led the Bucks with 11 rebounds. Bledsoe was solid throughout, finishing with 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting with a teamhigh 10 assists along with some solid work on the defensive end including three steals.
As a team, the Bucks coaxed 24 Hawks turnovers, taking advantage of them for a total of 36 points. However, the game remained close into the third quarter in large part because of the flipside of Sunday’s theme of rebounding.
While they rebounded for the win, they put forth a poor effort in terms of actually rebounding the win, particularly in the first half when the Hawks had more offensive rebounds (eight) than the Bucks had rebounds (three) in the first quarter.
“It was about bad as I think we’ve had all year for the first half,” said Budenholzer, commenting on Atlanta’s 11 firsthalf offensive rebounds.
Atlanta was dominant on the boards, finishing with 18 offensive rebounds for 23 second-chance points — marking a new season-high for offensive rebounds by a Bucks opponent. Seventeen of those offensive rebounds came in the first three quarters, with even Hawks rookie Trae Young — listed at 6-foot-2 but certainly shorter than that — even getting three as part of a 26-point, 10rebound game.
There are plenty of explanations for why the Bucks struggled on the boards. The Bucks weren’t aggressive enough, with center Brook Lopez saying they were, “just kind of out there.” It didn’t help that the Bucks’ guards were a nonfactor on the glass in the first half, with Budenholzer and Bledsoe citing their inability to make certain reads and block out as a major issue.
The common denominator was effort, though, which was something the Bucks didn’t bring enough of during the first half despite taking a 64-55 lead into the break.
“I think getting a rebound is an effort thing,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t think we put enough effort in rebounding the ball and that starts from me. Coming back, the first game, I think I wasn’t focused enough. Rebounding the ball — I had one defensive rebound in the half — that’s something I usually do way better.
“Not rebounding the ball is effort and I think in the second half we did a better job coming in and putting more effort into getting into their bodies and just rebounding the ball.”
After an overall sluggish start, the Bucks eventually settled in and took care of business both in terms of wrap- ping up defensive possessions as well as extending their lead.
In addition to their three leading scorers, the Bucks got solid contributions from Malcolm Brogdon, who finished with 14 points, as well as a few players off the bench. D.J. Wilson had eight points on 3 for 3 shooting along with four rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes. George Hill had 11 points and was solid defensively while Ersan Ilyasova matched Antetokounmpo for the team high with three steals while also taking multiple charges.
The win also marked Budenholzer’s first in Atlanta as a visiting coach after spending the past five years as the head coach of the Hawks.
“I look back with a ton of positive memories and so many great relationships,” Budenholzer said. “To be a firsttime head coach and go through that growth, there’s so many positive feelings I have. Change and moving are part of life . ... It was a heck of a five years and I’m very, very appreciative of it.”
Bucks make a roster move: The Bucks waived two-way guard Jaylen on Sunday. Morris played 29 minutes over four games with the Bucks, making his biggest mark in a seven-point performance to close out a 43point win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 21.
Morris spent more time in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd, averaging 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 35.1 minutes per game in 13 contests.
Choosing to waive Morris on Sunday leaves the Bucks time to add a replacement before Tuesday’s deadline for signing two-way players.