Bobby Portis Jr. says the surging Milwaukee Bucks can still get better both on offense and defense

Things are looking bright for the surging Milwaukee Bucks.

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

After winning five straight games, the Milwaukee Bucks surged to solo second place in the Eastern Conference.

With a 20-7 record, things are looking bright for the Bucks, and they can only get better on offense and defense, one of their top guns assured.

"With defense, we're trying to just build it. Obviously, it's a new system for us; we're trying to do a lot of new things and have different reads, different coverages. For the long haul, we're playing a long game, I feel like this year, trying new things, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and we can always go back to that film and watch and see what works and what doesn't work," Portis said after Milwaukee's 132-119 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Rising in the East

The Bucks actually started the season slow, but they have made the necessary adjustments to climb to the upper part of the team standings.

"That's the beauty of the NBA, of 82 games. You know, skid is having the highs and lows that come with it. So on defense, we can get a whole lot better, and we're still making strides," Portis said.

While they have high-scoring stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Bucks are playing unselfish basketball, making the team hard to stop.

On the season, Milwaukee is second in scoring with 124.7 points a game. They are second to the fast-paced Indiana Pacers, averaging 127.4 points per outing.

"On the offensive end, I like how the ball is hopping; I like how the ball is going side to side, everybody touching it, everybody getting involved. It just does something when the ball goes side to side, and somehow you're suddenly wide open for a three," Portis said.

Getting better as the season progresses

Milwaukee is enjoying its second five-game winning streak in the season. Only the Boston Celtics have a better record than Milwaukee in the East.

As wins keep coming, the Bucks are definitely improving on both ends of the floor.

"Our offense is definitely trending in the right direction. Our defense can obviously get better as well, and we'll be good come in the next couple of months. Still, a long way to go, but I think we'll be alright," Portis said. 

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