10 Observations: Milwaukee Bucks Collapse in 2nd Half, Lose to Pelicans

Here are 10 observations from the Milwaukee Bucks’ final scrimmage in which they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans thanks to a second-half collapse.

After winning their first two scrimmages in the NBA’s bubble, the Milwaukee Bucks lost their third and final warm-up game before the regular season re-starts for them on Friday. Although the loss itself means nothing, here are 10 observations from their final warm-up contest.

10. No more in-game replays!

Fox Sports Wisconsin has been brilliant so far, allowing Zora Stephenson to join play-by-play commentator Jim Pashke as the analyst. It’s safe to say Stephenson has a bright future. However, they constantly showed in-game replays that took away from the live-action during the first two scrimmages. Thankfully, they eliminated that in the third scrimmage and fans tuning in were able to see all of the game. That was a welcomed change.

9. Donte DiVincenzo’s on-ball defense

In just his second year in the NBA, Donte DiVincenzo made a name for himself as one of the most fierce off-ball defenders around. He had no issue jumping passing lanes and his 2.4 percent steal rate ranked in the 94th percentile among combo guards according to Cleaning the Glass. Well, his on-ball defense has been downright ferocious in these scrimmages. There were a number of times he locked up Jrue Holiday in one-on-one situations. If he continues that, the Bucks’ defense just got even better.

8. Rebound advantage

Milwaukee kills teams on the boards, making it one of their top priorities since head coach Mike Budenholzer arrived two summers ago. It was more of the same against the Pelicans as the Bucks owned the glass, outrebounding their opponents 51-39.

7. Giannis Antetokounmpo attacks

Giannis Antetokounmpo has had no issues being aggressive in these three scrimmages, constantly putting pressure on the rim and getting into the paint. Monday night was no different. He finished the game with 30 points on just 15 field goal attempts and also shot 15 free throws. Somehow, he looks stronger and quicker than ever.

6. Bench’s defense

Milwaukee’s starters began the game by setting the tone on defense, as they quickly jumped out to a 13-3 lead. They also asserted their will at various other times throughout the game when they were on the floor together. Unfortunately, the bench unit couldn’t keep that same energy. As soon as the second and third units started to trickle into the game, the intensity went down and the results suffered as well. Obviously, Budenholzer isn’t going to go nearly this deep in the postseason, but it was discouraging to see guys struggle so mightily.

5. Zone defense was questionable

Speaking of struggling, the Bucks flashed a zone defense throughout various portions of the game, and each time it got absolutely lit up. The Pelicans typically moved the ball around, poked holes in the middle of the zone and found open shooters on the perimeter. To be fair, the Bucks mostly went to zone when featuring a lineup that included Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That’s a lot of big bodies to move around the court.

4. Communication–too many open guys on the perimeter

One of the main issues on defense, whether they were in zone or man, was the apparent lack of communication. On multiple occasions, the Bucks didn’t talk with one another and a Pelican was wide open on the perimeter. This is inexcusable for a veteran-laden team who has mostly been together for going on two years now.

3. Brandon Ingram was cooking

Brandon Ingram showed Bucks’ fans first-hand why he’s had such a great season in New Orleans. At 6-foot-9, he’s a smooth ball-handler with a long wingspan and elite shotmaking skills. At just 22-years-old, he had a breakout season for the Pelicans and averaged 24.3 points on the season. He had no issues against the Bucks, often hunting mismatches and going 6-for-11 from the field for 14 points.

2. Final minutes of the third quarter

The third quarter was not fun for the Bucks. After holding a 79-72 lead with just 2:54 remaining, the Pelicans went on an 18-2 run to close out the period and finish with 40 total points. They went on to drop another 34 in the fourth quarter and squash any Bucks’ comeback attempt. Even in an exhibition game, Budenholzer can’t be happy about how that turned out and I’m sure he’ll be talking to his team about it in the coming days.

1. Pelican’s made threes

Part of the issues the Bucks’ defense faced was the hot-shooting of New Orleans. They made 17 of their 47 threes (36.2 percent) as a team and certainly got hot in the second half. J.J. Redick led the barrage, finishing the game going 4-of-7 from deep and caught fire late in the third quarter. This has been one of Milwaukee’s weaknesses all year.