Milwaukee vs. San Antonio: Bucks Claw Past Spurs, 120-113

For the sixth consecutive time, the Milwaukee Bucks have won a basketball game. They’d knock off the San Antonio Spurs by a 120-113 score at Fiserv Forum on Saturday night.

The Spurs would hold an advantage after one, 33-26. They’d capitalize on a short duration of time where Giannis Antetokounmpo headed back to the locker room, but later returned to the bench. Donte DiVincenzo paced Milwaukee with six points in the opening period.

The Spurs would open up a double-digit advantage shortly into the second quarter, thanks in large part to a 9-2 San Antonio run. However, Milwaukee would chip away as the quarter progressed, igniting a 15-0 run of their own to leapfrog back in front. A Jrue Holiday 3-pointer at the buzzer would pad the Bucks lead to seven points, 57-50. They’d end the half on a 29-8 run.

Gregg Popovich teams are always competitive, no matter the year. The Spurs would continue to stick around throughout the third, thanks in large part to their 3-point percentage climbing back up. However, going into the final period of regulation, Milwaukee owned an 88-84 lead.

San Antonio would remain close throughout the final quarter, keeping things relatively at bay and at single digits throughout. However, the Bucks would continue to hit timely shots, therefore preventing the Spurs from obtaining any real chance to overtake the lead. When the final buzzer sounded, Milwaukee walked away with a 120-113 victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo would lead the Bucks in points, totaling 26 on the evening. He’d also tally 15 assists.

Lonnie Walker led all scorers with 31 points on the evening.

What Did We Learn?

We learned how nice it was to have PJ Tucker on the Bucks. The newest Buck would play 13 minutes off the bench on the evening, contributing with an effective performance, despite not scoring the basketball (he only took one shot). Despite the lack of offense, you could still see how impactful he was, especially on defense. One of the main reasons the Bucks got him was for his defense, and watching video of him, you can see why. The level of communication he exhibits on the floor is second to none and he’s going to fit in quite nicely with this squad.

Three Observations

It was another effective evening for Donte DiVincenzo.

After contributing with 20 points in Philadelphia on St. Patrick’s Day, Donte had another solid outing Saturday night at Fiserv Forum. His performance would conclude with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Bud then discussed DiVincenzo’s defense and talked about his competitive edge and athleticism, praising his defensive IQ and ability to anticipate what’s going to happen. The energy that the Big Ragu brought last night definitely provided a spark for Milwaukee which proved to be imperative. He may not be able to finish a layup in a normal fashion, but he’s been huge for the Bucks as of late. However, as for Khris’ thoughts on Donte?

Milwaukee switched things up on defense and it worked.

Throughout the game, the Bucks would switch to zone. This would cause trouble for San Antonio. In his postgame presser, Bud talked about the importance of this and just how big it is for the squad to exhibit. He then followed up with how they’ll continue to develop that as the season progresses. Jrue Holiday also chimed in on how this type of versatility will be important for them. It’s really quite nice that the Bucks are indeed experimenting with this, as it will provides them opportunities to test implementations that could be key in a playoff seres. I’m all for the defensive experimentation.

Giannis has been dishing it out like ice creammmmm!

In the last five games since the All-Star Break, Giannis Antetokounmpo has tallied 51 assists. Yes, you’ve read that right. He’d finish this performance with 15 dimes. It really seems as if Giannis has been truly at the top of his game lately, and he continued last night. Will he play himself into MVP consideration now that LeBron and Embiid are sidelined? With how Jokic and Lillard are playing, it’ll be tough. However, you know that Giannis’ mind is on the bigger picture and bringing a championship back to the city. Also, for those wondering, “dishing it out like ice creammmmm!” is a line from the GOAT announcer, Barry DeJay from Backyard Basketball. Loved that game.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• After scoring 11 points on the evening, Brook Lopez has now etched double-digits in 11 consecutive games. He’s really been on a grind lately and it’s been fantastic to see.
• As I was walking into Fiserv Forum to cover this one, I saw a very random Bucks jersey — Chris Douglas-Roberts. I always love obscure player jerseys. Whenever I’m at a Brewers, I have a fun time trying to find the most obscure jersey at each game I go to.
• How tight is the Bucks defense? This video shows just how difficult it is.

• I can’t get over that second picture of Giannis:

• Last, during the first quarter, I sent a DM in the Brew Hoop group chat about how all of Taco Bell’s quesalupa commercial during March Madness had made me plan on going there postgame. That single DM resulted in a fast food discussion that lasted over two quarters. It also resulted in our very own Kyle Carr giving the line of the night:

What say you, fine folks? What’s your favorite fast food restaurant?

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