In back-to-back games played Tuesday through Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks outscored their opponents by a total of 44 points, defeating the Magic 122-93 in the second game. Orlando never led after leading 9-8 in the first quarter. Resting a 32-point lead, Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out the entire fourth quarter. Milwaukee won the game by attempting just 12 three-pointers, the fewest in an NBA game this season.
According to Bucks center Brook Lopez, the main reason for the decrease in outside shots was Milwaukee’s offensive pace, which resulted in aggressive shots to the basket.
“I mean, seeing the early results, it makes a huge difference,” Lopez said. “Just by looking at my phone, I’ve gotten a lot of messages from people who know us saying, ‘it looks like Dame is getting on the court quicker.’ We just move a lot more and attack the basket intensely.”
Damian Lillard mentioned that he is actively pushing the pace, and this change has led to rapid starts for Milwaukee’s last two games. After building a 47-28 first-quarter lead over Sacramento on Tuesday, the Magic built an early 34-16 advantage.
Can the team continue to look like this? For Bucks fans, this is more than refreshing.
The Milwaukee Bucks are powerful again against the Orlando Magic, fueled by pace and defense
Of those 12 three-pointers, Milwaukee made 7, including a 3-3 to Lillard. The point guard finished with 30 points and four steals on 13-of-19 from the field, the latest in his string of capable scoring performances that began on Jan. 6 against Toronto.
For his part, Giannis scored 26 points and 11 rebounds in three quarters, while going 11-15 from the field. Lopez added 13 PTS and 5 BLKS, tying his season high from the 6 he scored on Opening Day.
Asked about the team’s increased focus on defense, something both Dame and Giannis have emphasized recently, Lopez agreed that Milwaukee came into the contest with the same powerful defensive mindset it took against the Kings: “I just thought our move was great. We definitely need to start running some more, so it was great to see the same start for the second night in a row.
Lopez said they did an even better job of maintaining the overall “competitive spirit” that Giannis talked about after Tuesday’s victory. “You know, it was there from the beginning, and in the last game we had some slack, but for almost the full 48 minutes the energy was there tonight.” Milwaukee’s recent games have seen mostly greater commitment. Although dejected by the ugly loss to the Knicks, the Bucks won five of six games.
Lopez cites a “don’t give up” mentality as a source of success
As Lopez indicated, the team will need to put together something of a heater to get past the 5-9 seeds and potentially challenge New York for the third spot in the East. Equally important, they need to stay healthy heading into the playoffs to prepare for the long journey. While the Bucks’ roster remains incomplete, it appears their lineup is gaining some stability.
Discussing how Milwaukee maintained intensity against Orlando, Lopez had a lot to say that applies to the season as a whole and the need to keep the pedal to the metal as we approach the midway point of the 2024-2025 season: “I think we just preyed on each other. Every time we said: “Keep it up, don’t give up, let’s win this quarter, let’s start it well.” There was always someone who just spoke and spoke up and then also led by doing so.
Confirming Lopez’s point, the Bucks never let up on Magic, maintaining a lead of at least 20 points throughout the second half. Now 22-17 and a half game ahead of Orlando in the fight for fourth place, yet they are only two games ahead of ninth-place Miami. Let’s hope the Bucks continue to move in the right direction. One game, one quarter, one possession at a time.
While adding Jon Horst to the lineup didn’t seem particularly urgent, adding a legitimate third scorer at the trade deadline would also help raise the team’s ceiling and provide safety in the event of an injury to Giannis or Lillard.
The Bucks have a great opportunity to maintain positive sentiment in upcoming games against the Raptors (10-31), 76ers (15-24) and Pelicans (10-32). Tipoff vs. Toronto is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m.
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