MILWAUKEE – The Charlotte Hornets didn't score for eight minutes and 26 seconds in the second quarter of Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Not eight minutes and 26 seconds of real time – 8:26 game time.
The Hornets scored just 10 points in the quarter after scoring 16 points in the first quarter. Her 26 points at halftime were the fewest in the first 24 minutes of an NBA game this season.
The Hornets are not a good offensive team. They rank 28th in offensive rating, scoring just 108.6 points per 100 possessions, and their offensive engine, point guard LaMelo Ball, hasn't played since Jan. 26. Still, the Bucks showed up on Tuesday and did their job. They showed strong defensive intensity, putting the Hornets in uncomfortable positions and achieving a 123-85 victory.
Given the Bucks' game-to-game defensive performance in the first half of the season, doing what they needed to do defensively against an inferior opponent was a sign of growth, according to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“Sometimes I feel like we come in and don’t touch anyone,” Antetokounmpo said of how things have changed in Milwaukee. “We just let them run their offense, move the ball, attack, turn over, do bluff stuff just to get the ball in the play they want without getting touched. “They practice their offense for 60 seconds off without being touched.
“We have to be physical. When someone asks for a pick and roll, we have to get into their body and make them feel us. The guy who will be switching will make sure you get your hands on the screener without getting dirty. Make sure he feels like you're there and then switch. Like we're working on this stuff. We don't do it all the time, but we work on this stuff and when we're at our best, like we were tonight, I think we were challenged physically. People felt us today. So we have to get on with it. We have to maintain this standard.”
The Bucks are far from perfect defensively, a fact the team will regularly emphasize after games, but they appear to be working in the right direction. Recently, Bucks coach Doc Rivers emphasized that he was pleased to see his team starting to “get a handle on” opponents. That doesn't mean the Bucks are actively fouling up the other team and sending them to the free throw line or hacking opponents as they try to get around the rim, but rather that Rivers' players are now getting physical with their opponents before the shots go up.
Watch Bobby Portis early on this possession during the Hornets' scoreless stretch in the second quarter.
Hornets center Nick Richards should start this possession at the free throw line. Richards eventually gets there, but it wasn't easy as Portis started getting his hands on Richards at the 3-point line. From the moment they touch the 3-point line, Portis' hands never leave Richards' body.
Portis stayed with Richards until he had to switch with Danilo Gallinari, and at that moment Portis reached out and pushed Richards toward Gallinari. When asked about Rivers' instruction to his players to lay hands on other players, part of Portis' description explained exactly what he was trying to do with the above play.
“When you switch, push your guy into the next guy so he can feel you so there's not a lot of distance for the guy to slip out of screens and things like that,” Portis said. “Just all the little things that go into winning and that you have to do every day to keep the trend going in the right direction.”
But the Bucks' newfound physicality didn't just affect Portis at the start of the aforementioned possession. Look at Gallinari. As Portis pushed Richards toward Gallinari at the counter, Gallinari took over where Portis left off, grabbing Richards as he tried to roll to the rim. At the end of the clip, check out Patrick Beverley on the ball. He pushed his way toward Grant Williams and began placing his hands on him as the Hornets forward eyed the floor.
This kind of physicality borders on foul; All of these cases where offensive players “got into their hands” could have been considered fouls by another team of referees. But extending that edge will allow the Bucks to establish their identity as a physical defensive team.
As the possession continued, the Bucks' rotations became a little sloppy and their defensive efforts began to weaken, but they still managed to force a tough shot.
Although Gallinari wasn't perfect, he stayed at the counter in front of Seth Curry and forced another drive-and-kick. When Tre Mann attacked after that kick-out, Portis was in no man's land, but Beverley flew onto the scene and forced another kick-out to Williams, who had to force a deep 3 as the shot clock expired.
The Bucks could have done a much better job defensively here, but the failure to grab the rebound didn't completely dampen the Bucks' spirit. Antetokounmpo and Beverley pushed Mann into the corner while Portis and Gallinari worked their way back to protect the rim, and the Bucks eventually forced a turnover.
It wasn't perfect here either. And yes, the Hornets' ineptitude on offense certainly helped the Bucks stop possession, but that doesn't take away from the effort the Bucks put into defense every night.
“I thought we were very physical,” Rivers said. “Our hands were active. Our deviations in the last four or five games have just skyrocketed. And we talked about, “How come we don’t have a lot of distractions?” We’re not fast. We are long. This means we have a lot of balls under control and that slows down fast teams. And I think we do.”
The Bucks will have a chance to test their new defensive prowess against tougher opponents on a four-game Western Conference road trip next week. But first, they play the Hornets again on Thursday in Charlotte as they look to stay as committed defensively as they did in the first three games after the All-Star break.
(Photo of Patrick Beverley and Doc Rivers: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)