Milwaukee Bucks: November recap and takeaways

Best team performance: Nov. 8 at Golden State Warriors

The Bucks won in dominating fashion, beating the Golden State Warriors 134-111 in Oracle Arena. Prior to this game, the Warriors had been rolling and were in the midst of an eight-game win streak. Going into the game the they were atop the Western Conference and had the top offense in the league. The Bucks held the Dubs’ offensive rating to 15 points less than their season average at that point.

Although he left with an injury, Stephen Curry still played 26 minutes and exited the game with only 3:41 left in the third quarter while the Warriors were down 26 points. He scored just 10 points and did not make a 3-pointer. Besides one game last year where Curry played less than three minutes, it was his lowest scoring total since Nov. 16, 2017. Curry’s plus/minus rating of minus-26 was his worst since March 15, 2013.

The Bucks did well to limit all of the Warriors’ stars, not just Curry. As a trio, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Curry were held to just 51 points combined — more than 30 points below their combined averages for the season.

Thompson was the only Warrior to score at least 20 points, whereas three Bucks accomplished that feat — Giannis, Bledsoe and Brogdon. Milwaukee performed well as a cohesive unit. Bledsoe was uber-elite, going 10-of-12 from the field, while Pat Connaughton scored 15 off the bench.

Honorable Mentions:

Nov. 21 vs. Portland Trail Blazers — The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Bucks by 15 points earlier in the month, in what is still their worst loss of the season. In a revenge game, Milwaukee controlled from the trip-off and won each quarter in commanding fashion, ultimately leading to a 43-point win.

Nov. 4 vs. Sacramento Kings — An ultimate team win where Milwaukee won by 35 points. Featured eight Bucks scoring in double digits, and 11 hitting a 3-pointer. As a team, they hit 22 3-pointers for a new franchise record.

Nov. 28 vs Chicago Bulls – Maybe surprising, but the three-point victory over a lowly Bulls team was significant for a couple reasons for the Bucks. They were resilient to overcome a 10-point Chicago lead after the first quarter, and more importantly, they were finally able to pull out a close game in the clutch. They had been 0-5 in games decided by four points or fewer in November, so winning a close game, regardless of the competition, was a step in the right direction.