While the Bucks have been shooting and often making 3-pointers at a rapid rate, they are also having plenty of success closer to the basket.
As noted by Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Bucks scored 62 points in the paint in their win over the Pistons on Monday. That included a whopping 40-14 edge in the first half.
Back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was the biggest beneficiary, scoring 43 points on a sizzling 17-of-24 shooting. The Pistons gave him some space to operate and Antetokounmpo went right to work.
“It’s definitely not easy — it might look easy but it’s not,” Antetokounmpo said of his work around the basket, via Owczarski. “Actually, as the game went on they were showing more bodies but I wasn’t surprised.
“Like the previous games, they watched tape, they scout us (and) at the start of the game they come ready to play us and they know that the previous games I’ve been finding my teammates for a lot of threes, finding the shooters. So, it was probably like ‘Don’t let him pick us apart with the passing.’ So, that’s why there was a lot of space.”
The Bucks have won three of four.
More from Milwaukee
- Bucks rookie find Sam Merrill missed his first game Monday after suffering a sprained ankle. Merrill is a 6-foot-5 combo guard and was originally selected by the Pelicans with the final pick of the draft (No. 60 overall) after leading Utah State to the Mountain West championship. The Bucks acquired him on draft night. No timetable has been provided for his return.
- Former Kentucky forward E.J. Montgomery has agreed to a contract with BC Nevezis of Lithuania, the club announced. Montgomery, 21, is 6-foot-10 and went undrafted this past fall, but did spent some time in training camp with the Bucks. He was waived on Dec. 17. He averaged 6.1 points and 5.4 rebounds as a sophomore at Kentucky last season.
