NBA Today: 3 Reasons behind Milwaukee Bucks' 16-game win streak
The Milwaukee Bucks opened the season with a 2-2 record, a sequence that included defeats to two Eastern Conference contenders in the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.
Milwaukee's stuttering start to the season led some experts to question whether they were still among the favourites to advance from the East, however, Mike Budenholzer's team has responded in emphatic fashion over the past five weeks.
Since losing to the Celtics in late October, the Bucks have lost just once, and Wednesday's 127-112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans was their 16th consecutive win. Milwaukee's current 16-game win streak is tied for the second-most in franchise history, and the sequence of wins has provided the Bucks with NBA's joint best record (22-3).
With upcoming games against the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers, the streak seems set to extend for another week at least, so we look at three reasons for Milwaukee's impressive run.
#3 The NBA's best offense
While Milwaukee's defense continues to improve, the Bucks have been the NBA's best offensive team during the opening two months of the season. Not even James Harden and the Houston Rockets can better Milwaukee's 120.8 points per game, and the Bucks are currently connecting with 48.4% of their field goal attempts - second only to the Lakers.
Having pushed the pace for much of the campaign to date, their total of 1326 points scored in the paint is the highest total in the Eastern Conference. Budenholzer's team also ranks second in points per possession (1.14), and they have topped 125 points on six occasions during their 16-game winning run to date. More importantly, they haven't dipped below 100 points and have only failed to put up 110 on two instances.