on March 7th, the NBA officially announced the latest team strength list.
The list is ranked as follows:
1. Milwaukee Bucks record: 46 wins and 18 losses
When you have the second-best defense in the league, you should probably win every game with an offensive rating above 130 points.
The Bucks played such a game last Sunday. They scored 101 points in the last 36 minutes. Antetokounmpo made 16 of 18 free throws.
Also hit 5 three-pointers.
But the Bucks squandered an 18-point lead and allowed the Sixers to score 48 points in the fourth quarter, ending their 16-game winning streak.
The Bucks rank in the top two in the league in three of the four elements of defense (no other team ranks in the top five in more than two).
They rank first in effective field goal percentage allowed, second in free throw percentage allowed and second in defensive rebounding percentage.
However, despite the two top defenders in Holiday and Jevon Carter, their ability to make opponents turnovers is average.
In Sunday’s game, the Sixers shot well and got to the free throw line all the time, and they also contributed a season-low six turnovers (only one in the 48-point fourth quarter).
It was actually the second loss for the Bucks in a game in which they scored more than 130 points per 100 possessions.
But the Bucks won in Washington yesterday, winning 17 of 18 games is not bad, and as mentioned above, they are still 7 wins and 5 losses against the top five in the East, the second to last of the season.
They have two more games in the week (against Boston and Philadelphia), both at home.