Giannis Antetokounmpo And Damien Lillard nearly by no means have problem scoring. However Milwaukee Bucks‘ coach Doc Rivers appears at a unique stat than the 2 superstars that usually separates the workforce’s wins and losses.
“When (Giannis) and Dame have a excessive variety of assists, I imply 20 between them, we’re so significantly better when that occurs,” Rivers mentioned after Tuesday’s 130-115 win over the Sacramento Kings. “It’s a better strategy to play basketball.”
On Sunday, the workforce suffered its most lopsided lack of the season, dropping 140-106 to the New York Knicks. Antetokounmpo and Lillard mixed for simply seven dimes. Two days later, it was a a lot completely different story, because the Bucks stopped the Kings’ seven-game successful streak in a wire-to-wire victory.
Antetokounmpo had 13 assists Tuesday as a part of his fiftieth profession triple-double, and Lillard dished out seven dimes. Their mixed 20 assists had been simply two shy of the workforce’s complete of twenty-two towards the Knicks.
“When he shoots the ball and he bursts, you already know, leaning on him, then we’re hitting threes, getting layups,” Brook Lopez mentioned of Giannis. “It’s so fairly to take a look at and laborious to place down.”
The offense buzzed from the beginning Tuesday. Taurean Prince hit Antetokounmpo for 2 straightforward buckets early within the recreation. Lillard linked on a straight 3 and hit Andre Jackson for a baseline layup. The assault was launched. The Bucks scored 47 factors within the first quarter, their greatest quarter of the yr. Antetokounmpo and Lillard mixed for six assists within the quarter, almost matching their full-game complete in Sunday’s loss to the Knicks.
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To shut the quarter, sharpshooter AJ Inexperienced picked off Antetokounmpo on the left elbow. Antetokounmpo drove to the basket, drawing his and Inexperienced’s defenders earlier than passing proper again to Inexperienced, who had gone past the arc on the precise wing. Rustling. When locked down, the workforce can house the court docket with dribbles from its superstars, who learn the protection and drive to the ring or spray towards a set of shooters behind the arc.
Antetokounmpo distributed his 13 assists to 6 completely different gamers. Lillard additionally sprinkled generously, with 5 gamers receiving his seven assists.
The Bucks adopted up Tuesday’s win with one other straightforward victory at residence on Wednesday, beating the Orlando Magic 122-93. In a season outlined by inconsistencythe Bucks discover themselves on a 5-1 streak, nearly full in a season the place that has hardly ever been the case, with residence video games towards the Raptors on Friday and the 76ers on Sunday.
“I feel the way in which we’re enjoying is main us within the course we need to go,” Lillard mentioned after Wednesday’s recreation. He pointed to the 2 convincing wins on back-to-back nights in January because the workforce discovered “the very best model of ourselves.”
