Bucks are 3.5 games back and with Durant out again, could be the chance to move up that they need.
A pair of prove it games...
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Important measuring stick. The Bucks need to show they can win this with Simmons out.
Bucks big 3 making them hurt- 10-0 with 5 each from Holiday and Middleton. Nice work getting them both excellent looks. Good movement, good decisions.
You give these guys turnovers you’re going to lose...
Clear the Bucks want Holiday and Middleton going early. 8-8 from the field to start...
I mean, this is a complete decimation right now, but Philly on a back-to-back without Simmons and the Bucks are on long rest. The key will be to put this away early in the third quarter so Doc sits Embiid and Harris in the fourth.
8/0 run... need to get moving around again...
Bucks appear to have worked on making better decisions on shots. They’re moving, not just jacking up early shots, passing up good shots for better shots. Hopefully this is how they okay going forward. Much better brand of basketball.
Good quarter. But I hate ending a quarter with Giannis dribbling for 10 seconds at the top of the key and then launching a 20 foot jump shot. If you are going to do that, just take the open 3 instead of dribbling 4 feet in and taking just as poor a shot
I don’t get why you have to go 4 down on the last shot. You want a good look- run a play. Run Middleton off a screen, dribble handoff, give and go... just stepping into a 20 footer... when the f has that ever been your game?
Forbes is just a rally destroying black hole...
@Music City posted:Forbes is just a rally destroying black hole...
His one skill is to catch and shoot. If you ask him to do anything else, you have much better options to fill that role.
They’re tracking with floaters, like Memphis did. 4 paint floaters already this half...
Down to 11. Giannis has been terrible in the halfcourt. He looks completely out of rhythm.
Middleton getting his groove back in this game...
MIddleton is dominant.
Giannis is 4 for 10 from the floor, 2 for 6 from the line, and Embiid has intimidated him inside.
Giannis from the wing... Embiid can’t check him.
Giannis goes to the bench and the Sixers get it to single digits.
Giannis comes back in and they go +11 to end the quarter. Mainly Bobby Portis on offense.
Bit of a minor victory here for Philly to force Bud to play the starters longer minutes.
The same was said about prom night 1976.
Didn’t like how they played down the stretch but it’s a decent win against a team they may see in the playoffs.
Watching the game live, Giannis didn't seem to play all that well, but then you look at the stats (except for FTs) and you see
27 PTS 16 REB 6 AST 8-15 FG 10-18 FT, 2 ST, 1 BK
One worry is that taking all that time on FTs is starting to become an issue that someone will exploit in the playoffs.
Or an official will wait until a playoff game to call off a FT and then it rattles him and he misses 8 of 10 FTs in the 4th quarter.
@Music City posted:Or an official will wait until a playoff game to call off a FT and then it rattles him and he misses 8 of 10 FTs in the 4th quarter.
You know this is coming, especially as teams like the Sixers make a bigger and bigger deal out of it. The league office should be very clear on how they are going to handle this and warn the Bucks right now.
Good piece on BTBP on Brook Lopez lay in games...
That’s the issue with Lopez
Other than the Sixers I’m not sure he should be getting a lot of minutes.
@Tschmack posted:That’s the issue with Lopez
Other than the Sixers I’m not sure he should be getting a lot of minutes.
If the Nets play DeAndre Jordan, he'll have a role against them as well. If they get to the Finals, he is a decent matchup against the Lakers (Gasol/Drummond), Jazz (Gobert), or even some spot duty against the Nuggets (Jokic). It's hard to play him big minutes against the Heat, Celtics, Suns, Clippers, etc.
It was a great win last night (albeit against a team without their second best player on a back-to-back). However, the big thing to figure out now is when the game comes down to a final offensive possession to win or tie or a last offensive possession with the shot clock off to put a game away, who are they going to go with? So far, this year in those types of situations, they've had seven opportunities.
1. Loss to Celtics (Game 1): Giannis misses the second of two FTs after the gun to tie.
2. Win against the Clippers. Offensive set runs though Holiday and Middleton ends with Middleton setting up a Giannis dunk
3. Win against the Grizzlies. Holiday hits a game winning shot without a timeout to set it up.
4. First win against the Sixers. Middleton hits a jump shot off a feed from Lopez. (Bucks give up a terrible 3 on a brain cramp by DDV to still have to go OT, but then win).
5. First loss to Suns. Giannis missed a pull-up 20 footer.
6. Second loss to Suns. Giannis trips on the last possession of regulation.
7. Loss to Warriors, Holiday and Middleton mess up the inbounds pass.
The theme (other than the Warriors loss) is that they are much better off initiating the offense through anyone but Giannis. Giannis needs to be on the floor, but you can get the same 20 foot open jump shot from Giannis at any point no matter who initiates the offense. They are going to give it to him. If you initiate with Holiday, and maybe screen and roll with Middleton, those guys can both hit 20 footers and maybe a guy helps off Forbes/DDV/Portis and they have a wide open look off a kick out. If everything else fails, you can always throw it back out to Giannis.