The night started well for Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, outscoring the opposition 26-21 after the first quarter.
However, the game drastically changed when the Hawks dominated the Bucks in the second quarter by a score of 31-9, forcing Kidd’s Bucks to play catchup the rest of the night.
While Milwaukee was able to fight its way back into the game, ultimately the deficit proved to be too large as the Bucks fell to the Hawks 107-100.
“I thought the guys kept playing,” Jason said. “Understanding that the game is two different halves, you know we can sit here and say if we start the game like that maybe it’s different, but I thought the guys responded after halftime.”
Halftime Adjustments Bring Bucks Back
“The first half was over, there was nothing we could do but make the corrections, talk about the things we didn’t do and I thought the guys who played in that second half responded and gave ourselves a chance and got us back in the game,” Kidd said. “There late we just couldn’t get a basket when we needed one or get a stop. Definitely a character game for a young team to come back and put themselves on the road with four minutes left it’s anybody’s ball game. Again, you tip your hat to Atlanta, they made shots and stops when they had to.”
Once again, the Bucks were fueled by the dynamic duo, as both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker had terrific nights.
Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in 40 minutes. Parker added 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals in 35 minutes.
Tony Snell and Mirza Teletovic, two newcomers to the Bucks this season, were the only other Milwaukee players to finish the game in double-digit scoring. Teletovic turned in 14 points on four 3-pointers off the bench, while Snell added 11.
The Bucks’ primary struggle in the first half was shooting the basketball, where the team managed to shoot only 25 percent. The second half was a completely different story, and by the end of the night the Bucks shooting percentage was just under 40 percent.
NEXT UP
The Bucks look to bounce back Thursday night on the road against the Miami Heat. Kidd and the Bucks will look to win the second leg of back-to-back games for the first time in three attempts this season.
