NBA scores 2014: The Bucks aren’t terrible and Kobe Bryant won’t stop shooting

The Bucks winning in South Beach, Kobe shooting like a madman and the rest of the action from Sunday in the NBA.

Nov 17, 2014, 1:00 PM UTC

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks projected as one of the worst teams in the NBA entering the season, but they're .500 through 10 games after beating the Miami Heat, 91-84, on Sunday night in South Beach. Unlike other bottom dwellers who have fulfilled low expectations early on, like the Lakers and 76ers, Milwaukee may be better than expected.

Nobody will be impressed that the Bucks topped teams like Philadelphia and a battered Oklahoma City, but recent wins against Memphis and now Miami show Milwaukee can keep up with good teams. The Heat were playing well before stumbling into their current three-game losing streak, and it’s hard to believe they now have the same record as the Bucks.

A seven-point victory has left both teams .500, though, and going forward, opponents may need to start taking Milwaukee more seriously. Even if the team is completely inept on the offensive end, the Bucks currently rank third in the league in defensive efficiency, and are surrounded in the rankings by teams expected to compete for the playoffs.

That strong defense continued Sunday, as the Bucks limited Miami to just 41-percent shooting while forcing 17 turnovers. The frontcourt featuring Larry Sanders, Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, Ersan Ilyasova and Zaza Pachulia dominated the Heat in the paint, 46-24, and powered the defensive effort that's come to define the team early on.

The first year under coach Jason Kidd in Milwaukee was supposed to be a learning experience, with guys like Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo taking their lumps while developing their All-Star-caliber skill sets. Most people around the league assumed this team was firmly rebuilding, and another trip to the lottery was all but assured.

Instead, the Bucks have flipped the narrative early this season, with a cavalry of intriguing big men coalescing into one of the most intriguing defensive units in the league. Even if it’s too early in the season to praise Milwaukee as one of the season’s pleasant surprises, it’s probably time to pencil the Bucks at or near the top of the list.

3 other things we learned

The Thunder offense is in shambles.

Oklahoma City entered Sunday with the third-lowest offensive rating in the NBA, and didn't help itself with a 69-65 loss to the Rockets. The Thunder shot an abysmal 3-of-18 from three-point range and 30-percent overall as Houston won the game despite a similarly atrocious offensive effort. Nobody expected OKC to maintain a high level of performance without the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Perry Jones III, but not many envisioned it would get this bad. The Thunder have scored 90 or fewer points in all eight of their losses this season, and don't appear to have any solutions beyond getting healthy.

A win with fewer than 70 points is rare.
OKC scoring just 65 points and losing isn’t particularly incredible. The Rockets winning a game with just 69 points, on the other hand, is a pretty unusual accomplishment. Since the implementation of the shot clock in 1954, less than a dozen games have seen a winning team with such a low point total:

The Rockets are only the 11th team in the shot clock era to win a game in which it scored fewer than 70 points.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 17, 2014

It’s somewhat difficult to fathom that Houston won when looking at the box score. The Rockets shot just 23-of-80 (28.8 percent) from the field and 7-of-35 (20 percent) from beyond the arc, and committed more turnovers (14) than assists (11). If it weren’t for 22 offensive rebounds, which led to a number of easy second chances, it’s possible OKC wins this game despite its stunning ineptitude.

There’s no limit to Kobe’s shooting

It didn't take long for Kobe Bryant's shooting exploits to become the center of attention in Los Angeles. With the Lakers' season cratering amidst beatdown after beatdown -- the latest coming Sunday night against Golden State, 136-115 -- it's hard to take anything away from these ongoing defeats other than Kobe's shameless willingness to shoot. Against the Warriors, Bryant scored a season-high 44 points, reaching that total by shooting 15-of-34 from the field and 11-of-16 from the free throw line in 31 minutes. Coming off a 1-of-14 performance against San Antonio on Friday, it was clear early against the Warriors that Kobe was determined not to repeat his nine-point outing. However, it's possible this is the Kobe we'll be getting for a while:

League source suggested to me Kobe is making sure he passes MJ in career points while he's healthy & once he does will settle into team ball
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 17, 2014

Given the way this Lakers season is going, that may be as entertaining as they get. It’s possible Kobe’s previous career high of 47 shot attempts, set way back in 2002, gets topped at 36 years old. We can only hope.

Play of the Night

Milwaukee might be establishing its identity as a defensive-minded team, but Antetokounmpo and Brandon Knight have been powering the offense. On Sunday, the duo delivered this fantastic alley-oop on the fast break, which also serves as a good reminder of how outrageously long and athletic Giannis is.