Bucks Zone

Brook Lopez shares how he and the Milwaukee Bucks managed to stop Joel Embiid

Embiid had only 15 points on 6-21 from the floor, mainly thanks to Brook Lopez and the Bucks' defensive strategies.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The Milwaukee Bucks enjoyed solid contributions from multiple players as they beat the Philadelphia 76ers 90-88 in the season opener. One among them who played a crucial role was Brook Lopez. The veteran tallied 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist, but the opponents felt his presence the most on the defensive end.

Taking on Joel Embiid

Lopez probably got the toughest matchup for the night, as he was tasked with limiting Joel Embiid’s output. The 76ers’ big man ended up with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds but was restricted to shooting just 28.6% from the field.

“He’s so talented and can score from so many places on the court. It’s obviously not a one-person job,”  Lopez said about Embiid.

Lopez knew what he was going up against on opening night and recognized the efforts of his teammates who helped him out.

“Our guys are so good at helping and everything like that. … Having that trust that my guys are going to be there is very key - so I know I can be a bit aggressive, physical with him,” Lopez said. “And if I do mess up, those guys are behind me.”

The Bucks’ defensive strategy

The Bucks’ preseason games highlighted a new defensive approach they were testing. Since the NBA has become a three-point friendly league, Mike Budenholzer devised a plan to make the Bucks a better perimeter-defending team. The fruits of those efforts, although in a small sample size, were visible against the 76ers.

“It definitely shows improvement, obviously the first game of the season, but that was something you saw we were working through in preseason - and it shows how much we’ve improved,” Lopez said.

Philadelphia converted just 5 of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc as a team. That led to a slower-paced offense for Doc Rivers’ unit, which the Bucks capitalized on. Perimeter defending has been a shortcoming in the Bucks’ games over the last few seasons. If they can improve in that area this season – it will put them in a better position during the postseason.

Published
Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.