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Fans blast Bucks’ rebounding after Game 3 OT heartbreaker vs. Pacers

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Jedd Pagaduan | Last updated 4/26/24

Every possession is crucial in the playoffs. With every team vying for a spot deeper in the postseason, teams are more willing to put everything on the line. But apparently, the Milwaukee Bucks did not get the memo. In a slugfest of a Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers, it all boiled down to which team wanted it more, and unfortunately for the Bucks, their opponents had a knack for being at the right place at the right time in what ended up being a 121-118 overtime loss for them.

The Bucks’ inability to contain the boards with Giannis Antetokounmpo out was jarring. One possession in particular proved to be a backbreaker for them — emblematic of the way the Pacers outhustled them in the late goings of the game. From the 3:20 to 1:42 mark of overtime, the Pacers had the ball after they hauled in a total of five offensive rebounds in quick succession.

Not only did the Pacers demolish the Bucks on the offensive glass, their dominance on that end did not come from the players you would expect to grab rebounds. Andrew Nembhard, who averages 0.5 offensive boards per game for his career, got three of them on consecutive possessions. The Pacers may not have scored during that 1:38 stretch, but Milwaukee’s level of effort was very unacceptable, prompting some fury from fans on social media.

“I don’t want what Khris did tonight to be lost, but it’s going to. It got overshadowed by the disgusting inability to rebound the ball. Can’t even feel good about the comeback because this was a game the bucks could’ve, should’ve and would’ve won if they had their fundamentals,” one fan wrote.

Added another, “This bucks team can’t rebound and defense is lackluster. Even if we can flip this pacers series I find it hard to beat other teams.”

In the end, the Bucks wasted a masterclass from Khris Middleton — who scored 42 points and made two inexplicably clutch three-pointers to tie the game — and a golden opportunity to go ahead in the series amid Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence. But they cannot blame anyone but themselves for their gut-wrenching Game 3 loss to the Pacers.

Pacers expose Brook Lopez’s weaknesses in a big way

Now, that subheading may look like a contradiction. It most certainly isn’t. But is there a frontcourt in the NBA that plays smaller than the Bucks’ do without Giannis Antetokounmpo? Brook Lopez might be 7-foot tall, but he prefers to play on the perimeter on offense and he has never been the most imposing presence on the glass.

Lopez has been a subpar rebounder for his position throughout his career. In fact, his rebounding percentage has been below 10 percent in every season he has spent with the Bucks except for last year.

This makes Giannis Antetokounmpo the perfect complement for him; Antetokounmpo covers for his lack of ability to cover in space and lack of ability to secure the glass in ways fans have tended to take for granted.

Credit must go to Bobby Portis for putting his heart out there. Portis hauled in 18 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, and Khris Middleton, who had a phenomenal game, added 10 of his own. But when the entire Pacers team is fighting on the glass, the entire Bucks team should pitch in as well.

In a game the Bucks lost by three, every possession would have mattered. The Pacers had 17 more attempts than the Bucks from the field, and Indiana’s victory in the possession battle helped them cover up for their worse shooting night and their defeat in the turnover battle.

The Bucks need Giannis Antetokounmpo badly

Surprise, surprise: a team needs its best player to excel in the playoffs. The Bucks have had plenty of issues throughout the season, but Giannis Antetokounmpo’s presence has helped cover for a lot of their problems.

Antetokounmpo continues to nurse a calf strain, and it’s unclear when he’ll be back in action. But the Pacers’ frontcourt has outplayed the Bucks’ thus far in the series, with Pascal Siakam carving up the Bucks in Games 1 and 2 and Myles Turner scoring 29 to lead the way for Indiana in Game 3.

Bobby Portis is a fighter, but he doesn’t put pressure on the rim as much as Antetokounmpo does, and Portis doesn’t have Antetokounmpo’s lateral burst and rim protection, further exposing what has been a shoddy Bucks defense throughout the season. Game 4 is bordering on must-win territory; while a 3-1 deficit isn’t a death sentence, the Bucks will much rather prefer to head back home with the series tied, setting the stage for the Greek Freak to take them across to the second round.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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