The 2014-15 season has begun with a series of challenges for Coach Jason Kidd and the Milwaukee Bucks, perhaps none greater than the one they face now after consecutive losses over the weekend to a pair of Eastern Conference title contenders.
Coach Kidd’s squad has been defying odds all season, as a team that won just 15 games last season was nearly halfway to that total (7-5) just 12 games into the 14-15 campaign. It marked the first time the Bucks had been two games over .500 since March of 2013.
They entered the weekend riding high after a triple overtime win in Brooklyn on Wednesday night. But the Bucks were met with cruel reality in Toronto on Friday, where they were gashed by the Atlantic Division leading Raptors, 124-82.
Milwaukee followed that game up with a valiant effort at home on Saturday against the Washington Wizards, but after leading for most of the first half, the Bucks fell behind midway through the third and trailed the rest of the way in a 111-100 loss.
Coach Kidd was already well aware that youth and lessons learned come hand-in-hand and for the Bucks, that learning process can’t stop because they’ve had success early on. He noted his team must be ready to adjust to anything an opponent throws at them.
“For us it’s about getting better,” Jason said. “As a young team, we have to work on that, and understand teams are going to press us. We have to accept the pressure and make plays. We’re going to see a lot of that. Teams are preparing for us, so they’re seeing that if you press us right now, we can’t handle it. That’s something we have to address.”
There was plenty for Coach Kidd and his coaching staff to address after Friday’s game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
The Bucks only led the Raptors once in the game, after a three by Brandon Knight gave them a one-point edge 49 seconds into the contest, and from there the rout was on and Toronto (11-2) proved why they are currently considered the Eastern Conference’s top team.
Toronto shot a scorching 52.3 percent from the field, including 15 three-pointers and had five players tally double figures in the scoring column. Lou Williams led all scorers with 22 points, converting 5-of-7 shots from behind the arc while backcourt partner Kyle Lowry tacked on 20 as the Raptors dominated the backcourt battle in their 124-82 win.
The Bucks also lost the frontcourt battle as they got dominated on the glass, outrebounded 57- 30. The Raptors pulled down 15 offensive boards, which led to an incredible 30 second chance points, so even when they did miss, Toronto came away ahead. Afterward, Coach Kidd said the lack of effort on the glass was a key cog in the defeat.
“We didn’t rebound the ball tonight,” J-Kidd said. “We gave them too many second opportunities. They were hot.”
While the Raptors thrived, it was an all-around off night for Milwaukee, as the Bucks made just 36.5 percent from the field and Jabari Parker was the team’s leading scorer with just 15 points on 12 shots. Coach Kidd took the blame for not having his team prepared on the road.
“I take full responsibility,” Coach Kidd said. “I think the big thing is we got off to a slow start and we just couldn’t catch up.”
The Raptors showed their strength from the beginning with a 22-4 run after Knight’s trey to take a 24-7 lead. The Bucks managed to cut in to the lead slightly by the end of the quarter, but Toronto was still up 37-27, and they turned up the heat from there.
After knocking down nearly 53 percent of their shots in the first quarter, the Raptors hit on better than 56 percent in the second. Meanwhile, Milwaukee went even colder, and hit just 6-of-18 shots, totaling 18 points. Toronto piled up 34 points in the quarter and at halftime held a 71-45 lead.
Matters got even worse for the Bucks on offense in the third, when they knocked down just 3-of-21 shots and scored just 12 points. Toronto stayed hot with 55.6 percent of their attempts finding the bottom and by the end of the quarter, their lead was a staggering 101-57. At that point, Coach Kidd pulled the ripcord and emptied his bench in an effort to avoid injury.
“The best thing is to try and make sure that no one gets hurt and understand in the last quarter, we’re just trying to win one quarter, to build for Saturday,” he said.
Milwaukee actually managed to do that, as their reserve crew outscored Toronto’s 25-23 in the final frame. Ersan Ilyasova led the way, with eight of his 14 points coming in the fourth.
But that was of little consolation for the Bucks, who endured easily their most lopsided loss of the season. Afterward, Coach Kidd noted that his team would have to quickly put the loss in the rearview mirror and look ahead to Saturday’s game, as dwelling on defeat won’t do the team any good anyway.
“It’s over with, so you move on and you learn from it,” Jason said. “With the emotional week that we’ve had, we’re in position to finish the week 3-1. We have a game at home that we have to focus on, understanding that our energy and effort wasn’t there
[Friday] night. But with the way the NBA is scheduled, we have another one to bounce back from, and [Saturday] we have that chance.”PRESSURE GETS BEST OF BUCKS
Early in Saturday’s game, it appeared the Bucks had heeded those words from their coach, flipped a switch overnight and were ready to get back on track against another one of the East’s top teams, the Washington Wizards.
The Bucks shook off the bad loss in Toronto and were dominant for the game’s first 18 minutes, utilizing their length and intense defense to build a 15-point lead in the second quarter. But Washington rallied back, cut the lead down to five at halftime and took control in the third on the way to a 111-100 win at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Washington was led by their star point guard Wall and veteran forward Paul Pierce, who Jason coached last season in Brooklyn. The duo was double trouble for Milwaukee as Pierce poured in 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Wall finished with 19 points, nine assists and five steals.
However, Coach Kidd once again pointed to the margin on the glass as a difference in the game. Though the controlled the early stages of the game, the Bucks once again struggled to corral the ball off misses.
The Wizards pulled down 53 rebounds, including 20 on the offensive glass while the Milwaukee managed just 36 boards and eight on the offensive end. Washington turned their 20 offensive boards into 29 second chance points, nearly matching the 30 scored by Toronto a night earlier, a number way too high for Coach Kidd’s liking.
“When you give up that many second-chance points, you’re not going to win too many games,” Jason said. “I think [it’s] effort. [Friday] we got outrebounded on both ends, both offensively and defensively. Tonight was the same way. They just kind of bullied us under the boards and got second and third opportunities, which I thought turned the game around in their favor.”
Everything was going in Milwaukee’s favor early. Each member of the starting five got in on the scoring act in the first frame while the defense stifled Wall and the Washington offense, limiting them to just 21 points while forcing seven turnovers.
The Bucks held a lead as high as 10 in the first and were in front 28-21 after one.
“We had a lot of deflections there in that first quarter,” J-Kidd said. “We were active defensively. We forced some turnovers, but the big thing was that we were active.”
Milwaukee’s defense continued to stifle Washington in the second, forcing two more quick turnovers in the first 1:06 to get the lead back to double digits. They kept it there for the first half of the second frame and when Dudley stole a pass from Wall — Washington’s 11th of 12 first half turnovers — and pushed it ahead to Jerryd Bayless for a breakaway dunk with 5:51 left in the second quarter, the Bucks were in complete control, ahead 42-27.
But after a timeout, the Wizards came out firing and thanks in large part to the efforts of Pierce and Wall, ended the half on a 20-10 run that cut the Bucks’ lead to five points at the break.
The halftime break only served as a brief reprieve for Milwaukee, as Washington continued their onslaught in the third. A Wall layup and a Pierce trey had the score tied at 54-54 and when Pierce drove to the bucket and drew contact moments later, his free throw gave the Wizards a lead they would not cede.
Washington pushed the lead as high as nine in the third, and though the Bucks rallied back to pull within four at the end of the frame, they went cold again early in the fourth as the Wizards built a double-digit lead and held on for the win.
It was the Washington pressure that turned the Bucks over late in the game, showed J-Kidd a weakness in his ball club he needs to address.
“For the first half, we were playing the right way. They turned up the pressure,” Jason lamented. “To start the second half, we turned the ball over just getting it over halfcourt. That’s something we have to work on.”
Brandon Knight and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the lone bright spots for the Bucks in defeat. Knight had 20 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Antetokounmpo threw in 20 points, five assists and four rebounds.
The growth of his young backcourt, particularly Antetokounmpo, has delighted Coach Kidd.
“He’s taking what the defense is giving him,” Jason said of Antetokounmpo. “He’s putting pressure on the defense, not just scoring the basketball, but finding open guys. You can see it since he’s been starting for us, his game has grown.”
NEXT UP
Antetokounmpo and his teammates will look to get the Bucks back on track on Tuesday night when they host the struggling Detroit Pistons (3-10) at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on FS-Wisconsin.
RELATED LINKS
- Coach Kidd Postgame: 11/22/14 vs. Wizards (Bucks.com, Nov. 22, 2014)
- Kidd N’ Playing (Bucks.com, Nov. 24, 2014)
- Bucks can’t overcome poor third quarter in loss to Wizards (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Nov. 21, 2014)
- Bucks blowout loss to Raptors gets even worse (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Nov. 21, 2014)
