Bucks Fall in Playoff Fights

Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks dropped to games over the weekend to a pair of playoff contenders in the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.

After a tough 101-90 loss on the road to the Hawks, currently ahold of the No. 3 slot in the Eastern Conference, they fell 115-91 to the Hornets, who are currently waging a three-way battle for fourth in the standings. The defeats dropped the young Bucks from playoff contention in a transition season that has brought some debilitating injuries.

But even though Milwaukee’s shot at a second straight postseason bid under Coach Kidd disappeared, Jason still vows that his team will use the final seven games as a launching point for the future.

“We don’t have any time to take any games off,” Jason said. “We need to understand we can be in this same situation next season, being tired but needing to find a way to win. There’s no better way to go through it than the games that we have remaining.”

The treacherous weekend back-to-back began Friday against the Hawks. John Henson posted a double-double off the bench Friday against the Hawks with a 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jabari Parker led all scorers with 19 points, and he also added eight rebounds.

“It’s moving the ball and trusting one another. Tonight we just didn’t trust one another,” Jason said.

The game was tied at 12 midway through the first quarter, but the Hawks took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Al Horford scored on a driving dunk to give the Hawks a 29-19 advantage with 1:08 left in the first quarter. Young guard Tyler Ennis made a 14-foot shot to cut it to 29-21 at the end of the first quarter.

The guard position in particular has been ravaged by injury. Michael Carter-Williams, O.J. Mayo and Greivis Vasquez have all been shelved for the year due to injury. With the situation as it is, Ennis has been one of bright spots in that backcourt.

“He’s always under control, no matter what the score or time, pressure situation,” Jason said of Ennis. “He’s always thinking ahead and that’s what good point guards have to do. His teammates trust him when he’s out on the floor.”

The Bucks tried to eat away at the Hawks lead throughout the second quarter. A Henson layup with 8:52 left in the second quarter reduced the Hawks lead to 33-29, and a Giannis Antetokounmpo jumper put the Bucks down only one, trailing 40-39 with 5:13 left in the second quarter. But the Hawks maintained control and held a 51-46 lead at the half.

Parker’s 10-foot jump shot with 7:16 left in the third quarter pulled the Bucks within one point of the lead once again. Milwaukee’s top draft choice from a season ago has also been working his way back from an ACL injury that sidelined him during his rookie year, and he has come along to post some terrific performances late in the year.

“We’ve got to get Jabari involved in more pick-and-rolls so he understands his teammates and what they’re going to do,” Jason said. “Also when he posts up, getting him to understand how they’re going to play him in different situations.

Behind Parker, the Bucks kept battling with last year’s No. 1 seed in the East. Then, near the end of the third quarter, Jared Cunningham made a three-pointer to slice the Atlanta lead to 75-70. The Bucks trailed by four points going into the fourth quarter.

Milwaukee kept it a one-possession game through the first half of the first quarter, but Atlanta started to pull away as the game came to a close. Henson had nine points and seven boards in the fourth, but Jeff Teague’s 12 points kept Atlanta in front through the finish.

“I thought overall the guys competed,” Jason said. “We were right there in the fourth quarter.”

In the Saturday’s loss to the Hornets, Henson scored the most points for the Bucks with 19 off the bench. Ennis also made a difference, scoring nine points and adding 12 assists.

The Hornets shot the lights out: 55.4 percent from the floor, 55.2 percent from three and 81 percent from the line. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee starters were 19-of-46 (41.3 percent) from the field, forcing the Bucks bench into action.

“I have to give a compliment to the guys who came off the bench because they came out and competed,” Jason said. “Our starters just weren’t into the game tonight.”

A hot start put Charlotte out to a 19-8 lead in the first quarter. Ennis assisted on a pair of Henson and Khris Middleton buckets near the end of the quarter, and the Bucks trailed 29-17 after one.

Jason’s crew continued to rally in the second. Parker made a long two to cut the Charlotte cushion to just five, 37-32, with five minutes left in the half. But as he did all game, Nic Batum responded. He canned a long-range shot to quell the rally for three of his game-high 25 points.

“Every shot he took, he made it,” Jason said of Batum. “For us, I don’t think we made it hard on him.”

By halftime, the Hornets had stretched their lead back to 17, 55-38. In the third quarter, the Bucks were unable to recover. Milwaukee was outscored 35-26 in the third quarter, as they trailed 90-64.

Despite the large gap, the Bucks kept fighting. Milwaukee had its best frame as the bench closed it out shooting 50 percent. Henson led the way with 10 points, while Ennis had six and six dimes, and rookie Rashad Vaughn added five points and two assists.