Bucks Zone

What we learned from the Milwaukee Bucks' rout of the San Antonio Spurs

It was another historic night in Milwaukee.

Jonas Panerio

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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On Tuesday night at the Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks handily defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 132-119. The victory was the team’s fifth in a row to bolster their record to 20-7. Damian Lillard scored 40 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had a quiet scoring night with only 11 points but still made a massive impact as he collected 14 rebounds and 16 assists.

Here are a couple of takeaways from the Bucks’ lopsided win.

Took care of business early

As was the message in their recent game against the Detroit Pistons, the Bucks sought to establish their dominance early and not let the Spurs hang around. They accomplished this right from the get-go, building a 29-7 lead and never looking back. Although the Spurs showed some night and cut the deficit to eight, the Bucks responded with a 15-6 run to thwart the comeback attempt.

Lillard said this could have been a game wherein the Bucks took their foot off the accelerator, but they didn’t and poured it on.

“I think anytime you get into a game like this with a team that’s on a losing streak, their best player is out, those are the trap games where a team like this who’s really well coached, you know they’re not going to come out and just lay off,” Lillard said.

The seven-time All-Star has been around the league long enough to know that if a highly-touted squad lets a struggling team hang around, the result likely won’t be pretty.

“If you try to ease into a game against a team like that, you can find yourself down by 15, and it has nothing to do with ability or who is on the floor. It’s just the way that they play and the way that they’re coached. Setting a tone and establishing ourselves in the beginning was extremely important,” Lillard continued.

Dame joins an elite list

Lillard’s early scoring barrage—he scored 19 points in the first quarter—placed him in elite company, becoming the latest member of the 20,000-point club. Damian is the 51st player to make the list.

“It’s a great accomplishment. It’s a rare space to be in. In the history of this league, to have only 51 players accomplish something like that, I think that speaks for itself,” Lillard said of the achievement.

The Milwaukee Bucks dominate the San Antonio Spurs for their 5th-straight win

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO