Milwaukee Bucks Grades and Reactions From 104-99 Loss to Indiana Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks late comeback attempt falls just short, losing to the Indiana Pacers 104-99.

That’s about as good a loss as any. The Milwaukee Bucks took a presumptive playoff team to the wire, lost, showed resolve getting there, all the while getting big performances from the big three.

Does 22/6/3 from Giannis Antetokounmpo (8-8 FT by the way), 18/4/2 from Jabari Parker, and 23/5/4 from Middleton in a close loss against a good team satisfy you? It should.

That’s because this season is no longer about winning. It’s about growth and development.

So when Middleton’s potential game-tying three came up short I let out a despondent sigh, accepted defeat, and turned to the positive facts.

First, the Bucks had no business being in this game. At one point in the third quarter they were down 19 points, but a 10-0 Bucks run brought Milwaukee within striking distance.

That’s good. Avoiding a stomping on the home court means the statistical performances of key Bucks players are genuine. More importantly it shows that the Bucks are proud and gritty.

Second is the fact that losing a close game to a good team gives the Bucks invaluable “close game experience”. The losses they take this year could turn into wins next year because of these close game lessons.

And last but not least is the fact that the Bucks didn’t hurt their draft stock with a meaningless late season victory.

Look, they’re not making the playoffs. We’ve known that for a long time. So when you have an opportunity to compete against a good team, get good performances from your young core, and stay in the conversation for a Kris Dunn or Buddy Hield you happily take it.

Losing always sucks. But with the season circling the drain pipe the best thing to do now is focus on the positives.

We’ll cover all of them along with the negatives in our Milwaukee Bucks grades and reactions.

Next: Reactions: The Good