Lillard has rough night; Atlanta dominates
Three days after a thrilling one-point victory over Philadelphia in what the players called a playoff-like atmosphere, the Milwaukee Bucks came out flat against the Atlanta Hawks in a 127110 loss Sunday at Fiserv Forum.
Atlanta (1-2) built a 15-point lead in the first quarter and though the Bucks cut that to 33-32 early in the second quarter on a Malik Beasley three-pointer, the Hawks quickly slipped away thanks to a 15-1 run.
“It’ll be good to go back and look (at the film) for sure,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said of that key stretch. “I can’t really think of each one – there was a lot (of easy baskets). There was a bit of a barrage. So, there is definitely a lot of stuff to look at.”
The Bucks (1-1) never were able to claw back into the game from there, as the Hawks led by as many as 30 when Giannis Antetokounmpo was pulled in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks turned the ball over 23 times, and the Hawks had 25 fast break points.
Antetokounmpo finished with a team-high 26 points on 9 of 14 shooting. He also had 11 rebounds.
“Obviously we wasn’t taking care of the ball like we want to,” Antetokounmpo said. “Offensively the ball wasn’t moving as much. We didn’t have a lot of space to operate. Sometimes if you don’t have the space to operate, you turn the ball over. We wasn’t efficient with what we were trying to accomplish from every offensive possession that we had and they took advantage of it.”
Beasley had 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including 4-for-10 from behind the three-point line. Brook Lopez (13) and Bobby Portis (12) joined them in double figures for the regulars.
'Dame Time' setback
After a storybook debut with the Bucks last Thursday where Damian Lillard set a franchise record for a debut with 39 points, the all-NBA point guard had a rare rough night from start to finish Sunday. He finished with six points on 2 of 12 shooting, including a 2-for-8 mark from behind the three-point line.
It was just the 16th time in his career he scored fewer than 10 points.
“Obviously I didn’t shoot the ball well,” Lillard began. “I think it was just a tough game. They were the more aggressive team. They played more physical than we did. Just early season bad game. We didn’t play well at either end of the floor, and you got to give them credit for the way they came out.
"They were physical, they were disruptive. I think our offense kind of hurt our defense. They were able to get out (running) while we were off balance from turnovers and us not executing and getting good shots. They started feeling good.
"Anytime you let a team come in and feel good, especially a desperate team coming in without a win, you let ‘em feel good and they see some shots go on, we not playing a good game, it can get that way. Especially early in the season when you’re trying to figure things out, you’re trying to find an identity.
“And I gotta be better when that’s happening. I can’t be the guy turning the ball over. But like I said, it’s a long season, you don’t want to have these types of games but they happen and now we just gotta learn from ‘em. We got another one (Monday vs. Miami).”
Lillard was sitting on a career-low three points as the Bucks trailed by 26 in the fourth quarter and knocked down his second three-pointer at the 7:17 mark.
He had nearly as many turnovers (six) as missed shots (seven) in the first half and, unfortunately, had as many points as his jersey number (0).
“I think I had my mind made up in some situations because I knew what type of coverage they were in,” Lillard said of his early turnovers. “I was trying to get it out quick to the next guy. Sometimes they weren’t open. Or, what I was expecting them to do based on the positioning of their guy and my guy, I thought the ball would get there but it didn’t. I was a step ahead of myself at times.”
By limiting Lillard, the Hawks were able to take early control of the game and led by as many as 15 in the first quarter and took a 21-point lead into halftime.
Things didn’t get much better for the Bucks point guard in the second half, as he made his first basket with 3 minutes, 33 seconds to go in the third quarter. At that point, he was 1-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-6 from behind the three-point line.
Lillard’s career low for a game was four points, which last happened on Nov. 5, 2021. That was also the last time he didn’t reach double figures in a game.
Murray leads Hawks to win
The Bucks paid a lot of attention to Trae Young, but it was the Hawks’ other all-star guard who caused them the most problems. Murray, who led the NBA in steals in 2021-22, picked Damian Lillard’s pocket once and got Giannis Antetokounmpo spinning into the lane another time to help lead a Hawks defensive effort in the first half that saw the Bucks turn it over nine times.
Murray, on the other hand, was 5for-8 and scored 13 points. He also scored six points in a two-minute stretch in the second quarter that helped stifle the home crowd as Antetokounmpo tried to rally his team down the stretch.
“He had a great game,” Beasley said. “He was aggressive, making the right plays. That’s what he’s known for, though. I think he had a couple steals too. He’s long, so you gotta make sure you make the right plays and play smart.”
Murray finished with 15 points and five assists while Young led the team with 20 points and 11 assists.
A.J. Griffin gets another one on his dad
Sunday night wasn’t the first time Adrian Griffin sat on an opposing bench than his son A.J. – and it wasn’t the first time A.J.’s team won the game – but it was a bit different.
A.J. is in his second year out of Duke, and the Hawks went 2-1 in their season series against his father’s Toronto Raptors last season. In fact, on Nov. 19, 2022, A.J. had a buzzer-beating layup to beat the Raptors – and that success has been a point of contention through the summer.
“He talks a lot of trash,” Adrian said before the game with a laugh. “They beat us (in Toronto) 2-1 so he has the upper hand and he reminds me every day almost. I told him I have some help, a little bit more help this year, so we’ll see.”
Indeed. Adrian is in his first year as a head coach, and in just his second game. And that adds a bit of a special element for the contest.
“He just said good luck today,” A.J. said of their short call before the game. “(Saturday) we met up, we were talking, got dinner. It feels a little different this time because he’s actually coaching. I feel like it makes the moment even more special.”
Adrian agreed. my consistency. The way it feels coming off my hand. Being ready to shoot is the biggest thing for me, and that’s something we’ve been focusing on as well. Following through and holding it up, all the stuff you’d teach a 10-yearold.”
A favorite drill they do is called “The Pyramid.”
“It’s seven spots (behind the threepoint line),” Smith said. “You start off in the corner. You have to make one in a row, two in a row, three in a row, four in a row …. the whole way up to 11 and then back down.”
Mitchell said Smith keeps his best times on a whiteboard in Smith’s office.
“Stevie got it in 8 minutes and 3 seconds,” Smith said. “Which I don’t think there’s a player in the NBA that can do it in 8 minutes and 3 seconds.
“I mean, you’ve got to make 11 in a row, 10 in a row twice, nine in a row twice, eight in a row twice. And I’ve had NBA guys try it and they can’t do it in eight minutes. So he bought in to winning some of these ridiculously hard shooting drills.”
Mitchell is proud of his work. “I challenge any of my teammates to try to beat it,” he said.
With defenses scrambling to cover the Kolek-Ighodaro pick and roll while also worried about the explosive shooting of Jones and Joplin, Mitchell knows there will be a lot of opportunities.
“I’ll be chilling in the corner,” Mitchell said. “I’ll be chilling ready to shoot.”
“It’s special,” he said. “I’m just like any other parent, just proud of their kids and especially reaching this milestone is very hard. I know that from personal experience. But at the same time we have a job to do, we want to win the game. But it is special to see him in an NBA jersey. I’m still in awe. It’s still kind of new and fresh. But these are special moments that will last for a lifetime. Extremely grateful and just proud, just like every parent, just proud of your kids.”
Breaking out of the glue guy mold
Mitchell’s personality makes him the archetypal glue guy.
“He does a lot of stuff for us,” Jones said. “Whether it be internal, him being there for me if stuff happens with my family, or just something that I’m going through that’s hard or something like that.
“On the court, bringing his energy. You definitely feel his energy when it’s there, and it’s there every day. He helps you. He makes you want to stay up to the standard because of hard he plays and how hard he works. That obviously plays a key role into what makes us who we are and makes us better.”
MU is expected to be one of the best teams in the country this season. If the Golden Eagles break through to their first Final Four since 2003, Mitchell could transcend from glue guy to cult hero.
Smart has been impressed by Mitchell’s growth heading into his third season coaching the guard.
“I think his biggest evolution is growing into becoming more and more comfortable with himself,” Smart said.
Smart has his own terminology for what Mitchell brings to MU.
“He obviously just looks at me like a player, a guy, a dog, a dude,” Mitchell said. “A guy that can pretty much every team doesn’t want to go against. A winner. So that’s the stuff he looks at and calls me and addresses me as.”