Bucks Gaming fall to 0-2 following heartbreaker against Pistons GT

In the second week of the NBA 2K League regular season, Bucks Gaming came up a single point short against Pistons GT as they fell to 0-2.

Week two of the NBA 2K League’s inaugural regular season saw Bucks Gaming match up with a familiar opponent, yet unfortunately it didn’t lead to them getting a breakthrough win.

Bucks Gaming and Pistons GT had previously matched up in the opening game of the Tip-Off Tournament, with Detroit taking a closely-contested and defensive-minded game by a score of 49-44 on that occasion.

This time around, things were even closer, though. Defense generally reigned supreme again between these two teams until a frantic final minute of the first quarter saw both teams exchange buckets and go through the full range of emotions.

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For the third week in a row, Bucks Gaming made significant changes to their lineup heading into the game. From a personnel point of view, Procis1on slid out of the lineup as STL2LA returned. Arguably even more significant though were the changes to archetypes which altered Bucks Gaming’s style of play significantly from their week one loss to 76ers GC.

Having tried to play oLarry as more of a stretch five last week and received underwhelming results, the Bucks reverted to playing their star big man closer to the basket on this occasion.

Peroxide scored 41 points against the 76ers while playing as something of a point forward with point guard Drake shooting from around the perimeter more frequently, yet on this occasion both players returned to more traditional roles for their positions, with Peroxide also sliding down to shooting guard.

The results were certainly mixed for the Bucks against a Pistons team who had opened up the season with a win against Heat Check Gaming in week one.

The continued changes and experimentation were evidence of Bucks Gaming still trying to figure out exactly who they are and how they should play, yet in spite of that, they did a nice job of staying close to a vociferous Pistons GT team early on.

Milwaukee’s gameplan was clear from the early going, as Drake looked to find oLarry inside for easy points. While the Bucks’ point guard and center combo were showing a good understanding, Pistons GT’s duo at the same positions were equally making their presence felt.

The fifth overall pick in the draft, Detroit’s Lets Get It Ramo had moved over to the center position for this week, while Im So Far Ahead continued to build on his impressive play at point guard.

Carrying a 15-13 lead into the second quarter, Pistons GT continued to build their lead as Drake was guilty of some careless turnovers for Bucks Gaming. It’s worth noting that Drake’s passing was essentially pinpoint accurate throughout, but his problems would arise when he erred over into over-dribbling against high pressure Detroit defense.

With play resuming for the second half, Bucks Gaming trailed 31-25 but the shape of the game was set to change dramatically from there.

As has been evident throughout the Tip-Off Tournament and the start of the regular season, Bucks Gaming are at their most dangerous when they lock in on the defensive end. There aren’t many teams capable of defending at their level in the 2K League, and as they dialed things up on that end in the third, a timely 7-0 run brought them right back into the game.

Another interesting development in the third was the re-emergence of Peroxide. After a quiet first half, Peroxide started to make critical plays on both ends of the floor, most notably ending the third with a buzzer beater from downtown to put Bucks Gaming up by three points.

The fourth quarter proved to be a frantic battle between the two teams, as the emotions and reactions from the players at the 2K League studio in New York continued to ratchet up. Bucks Gaming certainly weren’t making it easy on themselves, but between finding oLarry inside and some incredible high degree of difficulty shot-making from Peroxide, they were right there as the game wound down.

Bucks Gaming’s rebounding woes came back to haunt them as an offensive board allowed the Pistons to take a one-point lead with 11 seconds remaining, but there was still plenty of time for a game-winner.

Coming out of a timeout, it appeared as if Drake had found a clear driving lane to the rim for an easy layup but as he started to circle away, the team called another timeout. Bucks Gaming certainly tested their luck as a wayward pass following the inbounds went to a Pistons GT player, but with his foot on the line, the Bucks would have one more chance.

With just over two seconds remaining, the ball came in to BigMeek, who had put together an exceptional shooting performance at the power forward spot. Meek had knocked down baseline jumpers and three-pointers throughout the night, but with the clock winding down there was just time for a tough mid-range fadeaway. The shot kissed both the left and right sides of the rim, but cruelly missed.

Pistons GT took it 57-56, and the wait for Milwaukee’s first regular season win continues.

Although the result was certainly disappointing, Bucks Gaming should now be moving much closer to figuring out their identity.

Drake continued to struggle with his shot, as timing seemed to be an issue from three-point range in particular, but his passing was exceptional. Meanwhile, Bucks Gaming’s most dangerous scorers appeared to be oLarry working inside and Peroxide slashing or working on catch and shoot chances from the perimeter.

Moving forward, Drake becoming a pure facilitator and deferring to that duo in the scoring stakes would seem like a winning formula. Outside of that, for the second week in a row, BigMeek proved his value in the lineup. Meek’s shooting can act as a perfect complement for this team, but the Bucks need more from the fifth starter. STL2LA offers solid contributions defensively, but Procis1on’s three-point shooting may give him the edge.

Next: Bucks Gaming falls to Sixers affiliate in regular season opener, 80-71

It’ll be interesting to see what changes, if any, Bucks Gaming make next week, as they’ll face Blazers Gaming at 6pm CT on Friday.