Pre-game report: Kidd says Bucks must defend the 3, limit Schroder
Atlanta - The Milwaukee Bucks are 0-2 against Atlanta so far this season and looking for a breakthrough as the teams meet Sunday afternoon at Philips Arena.
It won't be easy.
The Hawks had won seven in a row before suffering a 103-101 home loss to Boston on Friday night.
Atlanta point guard Dennis Schroder had only four points and three assists against the Celtics, but he has hurt the Bucks in their two encounters. Schroder is averaging 22.5 points and 6.0 assists and scored a career-high 33 points (4-of-7 three-point shooting) against the Bucks in a 114-110 Hawks victory on Dec. 9 in Milwaukee.
The Bucks blew a 20-point halftime lead in that game and were led by Jabari Parker with 27 points.
"We've got to do a better job of taking away the three," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "Schroder was really good in the game up at our place. He got going early and just kept going.
"We know they're going to shoot the three. We didn't play well down here in the first half. So we've played 24 minutes of basketball against them, both games. So we've got to figure out a way to play 48 minutes."
Atlanta was 12 of 34 from three-point range in the game in Milwaukee, with Schroder and Mike Muscala (3 for 3) doing the most damage.
The Hawks won the first meeting against Milwaukee, 107-100, after outscoring the Bucks, 31-9, in the second quarter on Nov. 16 at Philips Arena.
Atlanta currently is fourth in the East with a 22-17 record and Milwaukee is fifth at 20-18.
Former Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy was acquired by Atlanta in the recent trade that sent Kyle Korver to Cleveland. Dunleavy made his Hawks debut against the Celtics and finished with six points and five rebounds in 15 minutes.
Kidd repeated Sunday that no decision has been made about whether rookie Malcolm Brogdon will continue starting at point guard in the long term, with Matthew Dellavedova coming off the bench. That is the way it has been since Dellavedova came back from a hamstring injury one week ago against Washington.
"When you look at what Delly and Malcolm can do, they're very similar," Kidd said. "They run the team extremely well, no matter if it's the first unit or the second unit."
Kidd praised Parker's approach from behind the three-point line, something the 6-foot-8 Chicago native has added to his game. In the last four games, Parker is 12 for 20 from three-point distance and has improved his season percentage to 42.1% (56 of 133).
"He's able to put the ball on the floor to get to the basket," Kidd said. "Opponents are probably going to hope that he shoots threes so they don't have to deal with him in the paint.
"But I think as a young player he understands what are good shots and what are bad shots. Shooting 40-some percent from behind the three is a process, and he's followed the process."
Parker shot 25.5% from three-point range in his first two NBA seasons while taking just 51 attempts. He missed most of his rookie year after suffering a torn left anterior cruciate ligament but played in 72 games last season and attempted only 35 triples (making nine).
"We all expect our young players to make a jump, and Jabari is no different than Giannis' jump," Kidd said. "Jabari has made the same jump. We've got to continue to keep raising the bar for our younger guys.
"He can score the ball with the best of them in this league. The touches he gets. he's very unselfish. He finds his open teammates."
The Bucks are playing back-to-back matinee games with a home game scheduled at 2:30 Monday against Philadelphia. Five matinee games will be played in the NBA on Monday as part of the league's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
"We're getting them all this season with this schedule," Kidd said. "Back-to-back against the same team. Back-to-back matinees is something we haven't done.
"I bet the players like it this way, too. There's no shootaround. It's just go play."