Bucks must rediscover their offensive mojo to avoid elimination

If the Milwaukee Bucks have proven anything so far in the postseason, it's that shooting well doesn't automatically translate into victories.

Through the first four games, they shot 54.2% from the field but were still tied with the Boston Celtics, including a loss in which they shot nearly 60%.

It should come as no surprise that shooting poorly also doesn't translate into wins, something Milwaukee proved Tuesday.

The Bucks shot a paltry 36.8% from the field in Game 5, and as a result they face a 3-2 series disadvantage heading into the win-or-go-to-your-new-home Game 6 at 7 p.m. Thursday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

As frustrating as their cold-shooting night was, the Bucks still had plenty of opportunities to pull out the win in Game 5. They had wide open shots from some of their best shooters that didn't fall. There were layups that rolled off the rim and quality shots that just refused to go down, unlike in Games 1-4.

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They also didn't get the same types of performances they've been accustomed to from their star players, which isn't to say that Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton played poorly. In fact, both played well, just not up to the Herculean level they had been at in Games 1-4.

Overall, Middleton and Antetokounmpo rank among the best shooters in the NBA playoffs among players who have taken the most shots. Middleton leads that group with a 67.8% true-shooting percentage — a stat that adds weight for three-pointers — and Antetokounmpo ranks third at 64.4%. Together, they've accounted for 48.5% of the Bucks' points in the series with Antetokounmpo scoring 127 points and Middleton 125.

Antetokounmpo turned into more of a facilitator Tuesday night as the Celtics adjusted their lineup and packed the paint even more against him. He put up just 10 shots — making five — his third-fewest shots in a game this season. He shot just eight times on Jan. 8 against the Indiana Pacers and had nine attempts on March 21 against the Los Angeles Clippers in a game he left in the second quarter due to an ankle sprain.

While Antetokounmpo was less effective as a scorer, he did put his teammates in positions to succeed. He finished with nine assists and could have had 20 had his teammates been able to knock down shots, a good number of them open looks as he read the defense and made what he, his coaches and teammates believe were the right plays.

“We just have to continue to trust the pass," Bucks coach Joe Prunty said. "You look at Giannis, he ends up having a (near) triple-double last night. Everybody’s talking, focused on his shot attempts … but I think the more we continue to trust the pass and move the ball the better we’ll be.”

As much as he might need to pass to make the right play, Antetokounmpo driving and shooting has generally been a great option for the Bucks throughout the season and this series.

Antetokounmpo averaged 26.9 points per game this season while posting the fifth-best player efficiency rating (27.3) in the NBA. In the playoffs he's been every bit as good, averaging 25.4 points per game on 60.5% shooting with a 27.6 PER. His drives have led to layups, dunks, free throws or dump-offs to teammates for baskets at a high rate, including Tuesday when he didn't attack as often.

He knows he has to be more aggressive if the Bucks are going to stay alive in the series and voiced as much after Game 5. Prunty echoed that sentiment Wednesday.

“He can always be more aggressive," Prunty said. "Giannis is one of the best players in the game. He’s continued to attack game in and game out, played through contact, trying to get to the rim, continued to fight to try to get to his spots on the floor just to make catches. …

"We need him to continue to do that. But we also need other guys to do the right things as well, which means if he is running the floor or anybody else we want to throw that ball ahead. If we’re in our half-court sets and we want to get catches, we got to have better setups. Everything has to be at a high level.”

In Middleton's case, he took advantage of Celtics point guards switching on to him for multiple buckets Tuesday night, but finished 9 of 21 from the field. That 42.3% clip is solid, but also marked his first game under 50% from the field this series.

At times, it seemed like the Bucks' offense stagnated when going back and forth between their usual sets and isolation plays to attack mismatches.

"When we get in trouble it is because we’re pounding it too much and not able to get by a guy immediately," Prunty said. "We need to be more aggressive attacking.”

If the Bucks are going to stave off elimination on Thursday, they're going to need to maintain their level of defensive effort while getting back some of their offensive mojo. They made things close Tuesday despite their poor shooting and with two or three made shots could have come home up 3-2 instead of trailing.

Now they have margin for error. They need Antetokounmpo to be aggressive, Middleton to get to his spots and shoot well and the rest of the team to keep the ball moving and make open shots.

“We’ve been here before," Antetokounmpo said of facing elimination in Game 6 at home. "We’ve just got to play hard, be disciplined, move the ball, rebound the ball and we’re playing at home. We’ve got to feed off the energy, make shots and hopefully we can get a win.”