Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks squad has played tough against some top Eastern Conference competition already in the early season, but after Saturday night’s loss to the Washington Wizards, he delivered a message to his team.
The Bucks charged out from 17-point fourth-quarter hole and cut the deficit to single digits, only to fade away late in a 108-97 defeat. Jason liked the way his team battled back, but said, to take the next step, they first must expect to win ballgames.
“One of the parts of the process is understanding we deserve to win just like any other team in this league,” Jason said. “We’ve got to believe we can win. We can’t just go out there and play with energy and effort. We’ve got to have a sense that we’re down eight with 4 minutes (left) and it’s anybody’s ball game. We can’t think, ‘Hey, we’re not going to win because we’re not in the lead.’ Once we get through that (and we know) we’re not just the Milwaukee Bucks but we’re a team that competes at a high level each night, things will turn.”
The matchup with the Wizards came just one night after Jason notched his first win as a coach. Milwaukee looked strong on both sides of the ball in its 93-81 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at home, but the elation from that win didn’t last as long as he had hoped.
Turnovers plagued the Bucks, who gave the ball away 28 times, leading to 25 points for the Wizards. Despite the many miscues, Jason liked the way his team continued to battle.
“Even though almost everyone had a part in the turnovers, they kept fighting and they kept cheering for one another,” J-Kidd said. “That’s what it takes to change.”
It was a physical bout down low throughout, as the teams combined for 90 points in the paint. Washington’s duo in the paint of Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat combined for 42 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks. Fourteen of those points came in the first quarter, as the D.C. big men laid the foundation for a 29-17 first-quarter lead.
But after a rough first 12 minutes, Jason’s Bucks came back with a run of their own in the second quarter. Kendall Marshall, Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Knight and Jabari Parker all hit from deep during Milwaukee’s rally.
The physical play led to some chippiness on both ends of the floor in the close contest. There were seven technical fouls in the game, including one earned by J-Kidd, as well as two consecutive techs called on 16-year veteran Paul Pierce. Pierce was whistled for a clear-path foul on Knight just seconds before halftime, and was ejected after arguing the call.
Knight knocked down three free throws after the incident, and Milwaukee entered the break trailing just 49-44, looking at an opponent missing a key player in Pierce. However, while Pierce was watching from the locker room, his replacement, second-year swingman Otto Porter Jr., explode for a career-high 21 points.
“It’s a game of runs, that’s what basketball is all about,” Kidd said. “They have some young, talented guys over there. Paul gets ejected and the next guy up.”
Porter notched 11 of those points in the third quarter amid an offensive eruption for Washington. The Wizards tallied 34 points in the frame, while Milwaukee countered with just 24.
After trailing 83-68 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Bucks mounted their last rally behind the hot shooting of Jerryd Bayless. In his first year with Milwaukee, Bayless knocked down two threes and had 14 of his 20 points in the final frame. Jabari Parker and Knight also chipped in on the surge that sliced the lead to single digits with four minutes to go.
But after fighting their way back into the game, the Bucks simply didn’t make the shots they needed to down the stretch. Washington, on the other hand, saw big shots fall of the hands of John Wall and Garrett Temple to seal the win.
Wall finished with 19 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, five steals and a block, earning some praise from Coach Kidd.
“He’s good on both ends,” Kidd said of Wall. “Being able to disrupt the offense and also on the offensive end, finding open guys and picking his spots to find the shot. He gets in the paint and causes a lot of problems.”
Knight was once again sensational as well, scoring 24 points, dishing out six helpers, and snatching five rebounds, but it wasn’t quite enough to notch the win against his counterpart Wall, another former Kentucky Wildcats point guard.
“There were a lot of things we could have done better in this game,” Knight said. “Clearly turnovers were terrible for us tonight. It’s just a young team going faster than we should, instead of playing slow and taking what the defense gives us. As we get more experienced and more settled, we’ll learn how to value the basketball.”
Parker joined Knight and Bayless as the only other Buck in double figures. The Rookie of the Year candidate posted his second straight double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bucks shot the ball very well from deep, connecting on 9-of-22 (40.9%) 3-pointers, and they out-rebounded the Wiz 42-34, but the turnover issues, as well as clutch play down the stretch, ultimately spelled the difference in the game.
TEACHING THE YOUNG BUCKS
After the loss, Jason gave the media an eye into what he is trying to accomplish with his young Bucks team. As he aims to build a team that expects to win night-in and night-out, he wants to see improvement each time his squad hits the hardcourt.
“I’m sharing stories, things I’ve seen as a player,” Kidd said. “Maybe I’m trying to recall some of my early years, trying to be in their shoes. We have three 19-year-olds and a 22-year-old (Knight) as our starting point guard.
“But at the same time we try not to use it as a crutch. We’re trying to get better each time we take the floor, no matter how young we are.”
Much of those efforts will come for the Bucks through practice, but even in game situations, Jason is working to teach his young squad how to develop the routine of a professional.
“No matter if it’s a back-to-back or it’s practice, it’s a matter of being able to come with that same energy and effort,” Kidd said. “It’s creating habits and when you do that, it becomes the norm.
“That’s what you can control, and being a young group, that’s what we talk about every day.”
So far, the young Bucks have been responding, and Knight has risen as the leader of the group. The fourth-year point guard is averaging 19.7 points, nine assists and 6.7 rebounds per game. Though he realizes that he and his young team are sure to go through some growing pains, Knight believes J-Kidd is just the man to lead them through the ups and downs of the process.
“I love playing for Coach Kidd, a player’s coach,” Knight said. “And he knows what he’s talking about.
“He’s a very smart guy and he makes it very simple for us. He tells us when we’re not giving effort. He tells us when we are. He’s very honest with every single one of us, and that’s what you want as a player.”
NEXT UP
J-Kidd’s crew will look to bounce back on the road against the Indiana Pacers (1-2) on Tuesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Bucks (1-2) will be searching for their first road win of the season, while the Pacers are out to break a two-game skid. The two East foes have collected their only wins thus against the same opponent: Philadelphia.
After topping Philly in its opener, Indy has dropped consecutive contests against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Atlanta Hawks.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT from Indianapolis. The contest can be seen on Fox Sports Wisconsin.
