Milwaukee Bucks Gaming fall to disappointing loss against Hornets Venom GT
By Adam McGee
Milwaukee Bucks’ affiliate Bucks Gaming let go of a commanding lead to lose to Hornets Venom GT in the second round of The Turn.
A tournament run at this point in the season would not only have been very lucrative for Bucks Gaming, but would have provided a welcome shot of confidence and momentum for their playoff hopes down the stretch.
Unfortunately, the Milwaukee Bucks affiliate’s latest run at tournament success came to an abrupt end in the second round of The Turn on Thursday, as they crumbled from a position of real power to be eliminated at the hands of Hornets Venom GT.
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Although an element of luck will always play into the kind of tough and hard-fought three-game series that the Bucks and Hornets played out, the fact that Milwaukee almost seemed to have one foot in the next round at the halfway point of the series only makes their eventual defeat all the more painful.
With bans implemented for Slashing Sharpshooter and Scoring Machine at point guard, and Perimeter Defender and 3 Level Scorer at small forward ahead of Game 1, the Bucks found themselves playing with both Regg and Arooks off of their preferred archetypes from the get-go.
Although that led to some need for adjustment, that Bucks duo likely benefited from their experience playing on different builds the night before.
Therefore, although it took a little bit of time to find their groove, the Bucks managed to pull away with a 64-63 Game 1 win with double-doubles for both Regg and Plondo, posting 14 points and 14 assists, and 14 points and 17 rebounds, respectively. With Squidris leading the way in scoring with 18 points of his own too.
Leaving the Bucks needing one of the next two to advance, further archetype bans didn’t seem like the most pressing of concerns.
With Shot Creating Sharpshooter at shooting guard and Offensive Threat at shooting guard both banned for Game 2, the Bucks didn’t blink as they kicked on impressively early on.
Holding a truly formidable 21-point lead in the second quarter, and a 41-24 advantage at the half, the Bucks looked set to find their way into the next round and a matchup with the Jazz while operating on cruise control.
Perhaps that kind of complacency found its way to the players, though, as a disastrous second half saw it all go wrong for Milwaukee.
With connection issues disrupting the game’s rhythm, the Hornets were able to work their way right back into the game in a hurry. Following the restart after technical issues, Charlotte rolled off a 14-2 run to cut the Bucks’ lead right down.
The Bucks still didn’t look like relinquishing that lead entirely right up until the moment they did, though. With the Hornets getting in front with just 45 seconds remaining, Charlotte then hung on for a 65-63 win and a brutal blow to Milwaukee.
Following on from that, it was no real surprise that the Bucks were deflated and floundered in the final game. Hornets Venom GT prevailed 77-60 in Game 3 to advance to the next round and end the Bucks’ tournament early.
The Bucks will be back in action next week with a must-win against Grizz Gaming on Thursday night.