Would the Bucks bounce back as they have if Jason Kidd were still coach? Giannis doesn't think so.

Matt Velazquez | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Bucks' proclivity for digging into early double-digit deficits – something they've done in four of their past five games including three in a row – isn't new.

Last season, the Bucks trailed by 10 points or more in 46 of their 82 regular-season games. That 56 percent frequency was the highest among playoff teams.

This season, the Bucks are doing a better job of avoiding those situations, dominating more often than they fall behind. They have won nine games by double digits while playing only six in which they have fallen behind by double figures. Milwaukee has gone 2-4 in those contests.

Those two victories came in their past two games, as the Bucks erased a 22-point, first-half deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls, 123-104, on Friday before coming back from 17 down in the second quarter to hold off the Denver Nuggets, 104-98, Monday night.

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According to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks probably wouldn't have beaten the Bulls or Nuggets last year had they been put in those situations. He, like many players in the Bucks locker room, credit that to coach Mike Budenholzer, who loudly voiced his displeasure at halftime on Friday before taking a quieter approach Monday, telling them they knew what they had to do to bounce back from a 10-point halftime deficit.

“I don’t know what the difference is," Antetokounmpo said Tuesday after practice when asked why the team is rallying behind Budenholzer and at times didn't do so for former coach Jason Kidd in the past. "Probably Jason would have yelled at us and we probably would have stayed closed in a shell. And sometimes when guys got yelled at, they had a tendency to not play as hard and play a little bit more scared.

"But with Coach Bud, he’s always coming from a good place. He gives you the green light, but he’s going to scold you, he’s always going to talk to you. When you’re messing up, he’s going to let you know. But when you’re going good stuff he’s always going to tell you, make you feel positive and make you play for the team."

Antetokounmpo then went on to give an example of how Budenholzer's approach has affected him personally. Since Budenholzer was hired this off-season, he's been pushing Antetokounmpo to both improve his three-point shot and have the confidence to take it. Even as Antetokounmpo got off to a 4 of 32 start (12.5 percent), he kept reminding his 23-year-old star to keep letting good, open shots fly.

Against the Nuggets on Monday night Antetokounmpo did just that, missing all six of his attempts to drop to 4 of 38 (10.5 percent). Later that night, he got a call from Budenholzer.

"He told me, ‘You were 0 for 6; keep shooting,’" Antetokounmpo recalled. "That’s big. That’s amazing. This morning he told me also, defensively, you got to pick it up. Having a coach that trusts you and also keeps you accountable at all times helps you play with confidence and you always want to play as hard as you can for him.”

Budenholzer isn't looking for credit. Time and again, including after his fiery speech at halftime against the Bulls, he's complimented his players for their work on the court in making the turnaround happen.

But in the locker room, the players tell a different story. Point guard Eric Bledsoe has been like a broken record at times, cracking a smile in response to certain questions before giving the simple response, "It's Bud," before going on to laud the confidence he and his teammates feel playing in Budenholzer's system.

Even when told that the players have been consistent in pointing the finger at their head coach as the genesis of the team's strong start to the season, Budenholzer deflects. It's not so much about him as it is the consistent message and support he emits.

“I think it’s a lot more them," Budenholzer said. "But I mean, there’s no doubt they’re hearing the same message about shooting when they’re open and shooting with confidence. We’re going to play the same way start of the game to the end of the game.”