How the Bucks got Brandon Knight open for his game-tying three
By Jack Maloney
This post also ran on our mothership, Hardwood Paroxysm dot com.
Late in the second overtime last night, the Bucks had the ball, but were down three with 24 seconds to go. They need to make something happen, and quick. After a timeout, they did just that, with Jason Kidd drawing up a beautiful play to free up Brandon Knight of all people for a shot at redemption and a tie game. I think we should take a closer look at how this play worked, because it was awesome, and it’s fun to do that. So let’s get into it.
It starts out with Brandon Knight inbounding the ball, and the Bucks set up with three guys in a row up the lane line and O.J. Mayo in the strong side corner.
As they break, Mayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo cut through the paint and clear out to the far corner to space the floor. Meanwhile, Ersan Ilyasova comes over to the extened post on the strong side and calls for the ball.
Knight gives him the ball and then cuts towards the middle of the floor to use a screen that is being set by Zaza Pachulia. Deron Williams, who is guarding Knight, tries to cheat and go under the pick, which will turn out to be a big mistake.
As Knight gets past Pachulia, he plants and cuts back toward the wing, while Pachulia has turned and re-screened Williams. Both Williams and Pachulia’s man, Kevin Garnett, get stuck behind the excellent pick.
The result is a nice look for Knight, who comes off the second screen, receives the pass from Ilyasova, and buries the game-tying triple. Straight cash, homie.