Bucks getting consistent sparks coming out of halftime
In each leg of their recent threegame road trip, the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t go into halftime on the best terms.
Houston Rockets guard James Harden put up 17 of his 42 points in the second quarter to give the Rockets a six-point lead. Two days later in Washington the Wizards posted 40 points in the first quarter on the way to a 10-point halftime advantage. Milwaukee owned a nine-point advantage in Atlanta on Sunday, but they were sour about having spent the first half getting crushed on the boards, where the Hawks had grabbed 11 offensive rebounds.
Each game, however, the Bucks found an answer in the third quarter. They stymied the Rockets and got cooking offensively, finishing the period on 17-1 run to take a nine-point advantage into the fourth. Against the Wizards, the Bucks wasted no time, tying the score five minutes into the third. After struggling to gain separation, Milwaukee built a lead as large as 14 against Atlanta.
“I think coach (Mike Budenholzer) gets on us a little bit at halftime,” Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “But we also talk amongst ourselves, take accountability, take responsibility for how the first half went and we come out and play harder in the second half.”
The past three third quarters have been especially potent for the Bucks, as they averaged a score of 34.7 to 26.7 against their opponents on the 2-1 trip. But third-quarter success hasn’t just been a recent phenomenon, with Milwaukee performing especially well in the 12 minutes after halftime for much of the season.
Through 42 games, the Bucks rank second in the NBA in third-quarter scoring at 30.0 points per game, which is only slightly behind the Golden State Warriors (30.1). The Bucks have outscored or tied their opponents in 30 third quarters this season and Milwaukee has outscored teams by an average of 2.1 points per third quarter.
“We just know what it takes coming out of the half,” point guard Eric Bledsoe said. “We just talk it over at halftime and come out and execute.”
That margin isn’t all that much or even their best quarter – the Bucks are plus-4.3 points in second quarters – but performing well in third quarters has generally set them up for success. In its 12 losses, Milwaukee has outscored its opponents in the third quarter twice, tied three times and been at a deficit seven times. The Bucks are 27-1 when leading after the third quarter, with the lone loss coming in overtime to the New York Knicks on Dec. 1.
Milwaukee’s starters have struggled at times to get games going, with the Bucks’ plus-1.1 points per game in first quarters their lowest margin in any period and necessitating a positive swing in the second.
However, they have been better at hitting the ground running out of halftime and setting the tone for the second half. The starting five of Bledsoe, Brogdon, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez averages 23.7 points in third quarters compared to 23.1 in firsts while individually playing virtually the same number of minutes, but they’re doing a better job of locking down on defense.
The most notable offensive difference is Antetokounmpo. He’s often observably more aggressive after halftime, something he’s mentioned as a secondhalf goal. He leads the Bucks with 7.4 points (up from 5.5 in first quarters), 1.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per third quarter all while only playing half a minute more than he does in the opening period.
With the Miami Heat making their first visit to Fiserv Forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Bucks will have an opportunity to avenge one of their worst third quarters of the season, which came as part of their worst offensive outing in a 94-87 loss in Miami on Dec. 22.
Roster move: After waiving two-way guard Jaylen Morris on Sunday, the Bucks moved quickly to fill their open two-way contract slot and plan to sign forward Bonzie Colson, according to ESPN. Colson, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward, has played 23 games for the G League’s Canton Charge this season, averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds.