Halfway mark: Bucks want to progress, not regress
The official halfway point of the season comes Wednesday night for the Milwaukee Bucks when they play game No. 41 in Houston against the surging Rockets.
The strange thing is this. Halfway through the schedule, it’s difficult to know where the Bucks are headed. They were in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference at the start of the day with a 20-20 record.
Are they a team on the rise, with a chance to finish strong and win a playoff series?
Or will they even make the Eastern Conference playoffs in the tightly scrambled race involving as many as 12 teams?
Three recent home defeats — to New York, Washington and Philadelphia — leave reason to wonder about the Bucks' prospects this season.
On the other side of the ledger, the team won in San Antonio last week with Giannis Antetokounmpo playing a limited role. The Bucks crushed Chicago on the road on New Year’s Eve and beat Oklahoma City at home.
So will the real Milwaukee Bucks please stand up?
Coach Jason Kidd is hoping the real Bucks are the ones who ranked among the league leaders in several defensive categories.
The Bucks have allowed 100 or more points in seven straight games and are struggling to defend the three-point shot. Atlanta hit 13 of 26 threes in its victory over Milwaukee on Sunday and Philadelphia made 14 of 37 in its 113-104 victory Monday.
“We’ll talk about it until the season is over; it's the threes,” Kidd said. “Every team is shooting threes, no matter who it is.”
On Wednesday night in a game televised by ESPN, the Bucks will run into a team that is making the three-point shot an art form.
Houston leads the league in three-pointers made per game (15.0 average) and in percentage of points scored on threes (39.1%). And the Rockets are shooting a decent number on their triples, hitting 37.5% to rank sixth in the league.
The Bucks continue to be the league leader in points in the paint (50.8 per game). They have improved their three-point threat since last season but still rank only 23rd in percentage of points off threes (24.5%) and 23rd in three-pointers made per game (8.6).
“We’re one of the best in the paint and scoring twos, but when we’re giving up threes the way we have here lately … we were one of the best at guarding the three-point line a couple weeks ago,” Kidd said.
“We’ve got to find that energy and effort, that concentration of being able to take teams off the three (line).”
The Bucks could get a boost in the second half of the season if shooting guard Khris Middleton can return from surgery for a torn left hamstring.
Middleton suffered the injury before training camp started in September and has said his goal is to return at some point near the all-star break. The 25-year-old Middleton, if fully healthy, could be a big weapon for the Bucks down the stretch.
A concern for the Bucks is their play at the center spot, with both John Henson and Miles Plumlee struggling. Henson is starting but his play has dipped in recent weeks, while Plumlee has not been able to make an impact after losing his starting role early in the season.
Veteran center Greg Monroe has played well off the bench, providing a low-post scoring threat and taking charges and making steals on the defensive side.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is headed to the NBA All-Star Game, likely as a starter when the final results of voting are released later this week. The Greek Freak is the only player in the NBA leading his team in points, rebounds, steals, assists and blocks.
“It’s a great story, from where he started and understanding the work he’s put in,” Kidd said. “He’s got a great personality; he’s very charming.
“He loves to play the game. He wants to be great. He has the total package."
Jabari Parker also has raised his play in his third season while becoming a better playmaker and an explosive force in the Bucks offense.
“He can find open guys,” Kidd said. “Jabari has a skill set very close to Giannis. They’re not just about scoring, but they can find the open teammate.”
The Bucks play nine road games and six home games heading into the all-star break, starting with the three-game trip to Houston, Orlando and Miami.
They are 12-10 at home and 8-10 on the road, and the home record must improve if they hope to make the playoffs.
Milwaukee faces a six-game, 10-day trip to Memphis and the West Coast in March and will play four of its final five games on the road.