Milwaukee Bucks put in another fine defensive effort, holding their opponent below 100 points for a second straight game

The Bucks' defense continues to improve.

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks’ defense is starting to shape up under new head coach Doc Rivers, as they held the Denver Nuggets to only 95 points in a spectacular 112-95 win on Monday night at the Fiserv Forum.

Milwaukee’s defense—or lack thereof—has previously stuck out like a sore thumb. However, under the tutelage of Rivers and his staff, the Bucks have turned a corner, holding their opponent to less than 100 points for the second straight game.

Buying into team defense

Playing defense in the NBA is a thankless job. As the saying goes, “offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.” With that in mind, Rivers has been preaching a team approach to defense rather than relying on individual efforts. The Bucks’ recent success on the defensive end is indicative of their commitment to playing as a cohesive unit.

“Right now, we are trying to kind of help one another defensively and just make it as tough as possible," Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said.

“This is team defense. Nobody can do it by himself. Right now, I feel like we are buying into that philosophy as a team.”

The Bucks’ other ace, Damian Lillard, also credited the team’s coaching staff for pushing the right buttons and encouraging them to pay more attention to details on the defensive end of the floor. He added this has helped the team find a defensive identity, which would help them down the road if they are to complete their goal of winning an NBA title.

“Our entire staff, they're doing a great job of just calling everything out,” Lillard said.

“They're challenging us in a lot of different ways — our communication, how physical we are, how we carry ourselves as a group. We're trying to find our identity. Who do we want to be?”

Suffocating defense on Jamal Murray

In their last match-up against the Nuggets, Denver’s ace guard Jamal Murray was a huge thorn in the side of the Bucks, producing 35 points. On Monday, Murray scored only three points on 1-of-5 shooting before sitting out the rest of the second half due to a bilateral tibia inflammation.

According to Bucks coach Doc Rivers, he drilled the team to have a suffocating defense on Murray, ensuring he doesn't get any easy shots.

“He killed us, right, that night," Rivers said.

"We showed pick after pick after pick that we just melted on, melted on, melted on, melted on. Malik (Beasley) and those guys, they heard it enough. I mean, they’re sick of it, obviously. But we showed them the game before the other night (against Charlotte), where we didn’t get picked at all. And then we followed it with just running into picks. Murray’s going to make tough shots anyway, but if you’re going to run into a pick, he’s really going to make ‘em. I thought we did a great job of getting over picks and fighting over.”

Injury Update:

QUESTIONABLE:
- Jamal Murray (Bilateral Tibia Inflammation)

DOUBTFUL:
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Right Hamstring Tightness)

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 13, 2024

The Milwaukee Bucks dominate the Denver Nuggets for second-straight victory