Their Pride Challenged, Bucks Find Their Groove With Lockdown Defensive Effort

Since Mike Budenholzer took the Milwaukee Bucks’ reigns more than four years ago, the team has done some pretty impressive things on the offensive side of the court.

Let by two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Budenholzer’s “Let it Fly” philosophy has turned the Bucks into a nightly highlight machine, capable of draining shots from just about anywhere on the court, but the true foundation of the team’s success lies on the other end of the court, where the job shits to preventing opponents from hitting those very same shots.

And just like with shooting, defensive performances can also go through hot and cold spurts, often flipping at a moments notice but just like when their shooters start to get hot, when the Bucks heat up and lock down on the defensive end, well … good luck.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were reminded of that fact Friday night. They came into Milwaukee riding a four-game winning streak and went into halftime with an 11-point lead after shooting 44.9% from the floor and connecting on 7 of 19 3-point attempts through the first two quarters.

For the Bucks, that simply wasn’t acceptable. It wasn’t just a matter of the score or losing on their home court. No, there was something much more significant at stake: personal pride.

“I think that they (the Bucks’ players) knew we probably weren’t our best in that first half,” Budenholzer said. “We fouled a lot. Gave up (63) points. And sometimes when we’ve done that in the first half, I think pride is a word that kicks in. I think that the group has amazing pride on the defensive end and we’ve had some good third quarters defensively and I think pride is part of that.”

And with their pride challenged, the Bucks responded in a big way. They hit 14 of 24 shots including five of six from distance but stepped up even more defensively by holding the Cavs to just 10 points on 3 of 18 shooting — including an 0-for-4 showing from beyond the arc — and forcing six turnovers that Milwaukee converted into eight points.

“It’s pride, for real,” center Bobby Portis said. We had to get back to our principles and play our style of basketball. It was just fun. There was movement. Everybody was touching the basketball, everybody was running in transition and trying to get the basketball. It’s fun when we play like that.”

Nobody enjoyed the turnaround more than Budenholzer.

“It felt like there was an urgency to the way we defended,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “There was activity, purpose. The guys just, they were fantastic. And when we get stops like that, any team is at their best when you can get a lot of stops and then try and play against a defense that’s not set. I’m really proud of the defense, particularly in the third quarter obviously.”

Portis added that it had been a while since the Bucks had that much fun playing, which on the surface, might come as a surprise considering the team’s 12-4 record — which puts them second in the East, within sniffing distance of top-seed Boston.

But since opening the season with a franchise-record nine straight victories, the Bucks have looked like mere mortals at times, going 4-5 in their last nine contests. Part of that has to due with injuries.

The Bucks have yet to take the court at full strength. Khris Middleton hasn’t played yet this season as he recovers from offseason surgery, nor has Joe Ingles who continues working his way back from ACL surgery.

Milwaukee has also gotten just two appearances from top reserve Pat Connaughton thanks to a preseason calf strain and even Antetokounmpo has been sidelined at times with knee soreness.

Those absences can wreak havoc on a team’s offensive production, which makes it all the more imperative that the Bucks can play up to their own lofty defensive standards on a nightly basis.

“We are trying to be one of the best teams defensively in the league ,” backup guard George Hill said.