Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Celtics
2. Delly’s defense is dynamite
What do you do when you have a player who is averaging more than 20.0 points per game and shooting at an incredible clip from 3-point land? You task Matthew Dellavedova with stopping that man.
Dellavedova is a player who raises much debate. Is he worth the $38 million paid to him for the term of his contract? During the regular season, the answer would probably have been no. However, when the playoffs roll around, the entire conversation changes.
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In the first two games, Terry Rozier averaged 23.0 points per game, shooting at 50 percent from deep. Add to this he is leading the team in assists with 5.5 per game and you have a problem if you are the Milwaukee Bucks.
Enter Matthew Dellavedova, the defensive dynamo. Delly checked in to the game with about three minutes gone. Bledsoe had done a great job defending Rozier but had to sit with two early fouls.
Dellavedova then proceeded to chase Rozier around the entire court, giving him no room to move. This set the tone for the team, which was able to concentrate on its assignments as Rozier was quiet. He did not score his first points until the third quarter, when he made a free throw.
Rozier only scored nine points on the night. He did have nine assists, but committed five turnovers. What is even better for the Bucks is Rozier went 28.6 percent from the floor and 20 percent from deep. Dellavedova’s tight defense and ability to hound him up and down the court was a big reason for this.