Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 119-108 loss to Miami Heat

Takeaway No. 1 – It was undoubtedly the second night of a back-to-back

The Bucks looked like a team that played a basketball game the night before.

They were missing relatively easy shots, allowing miscues on defense, and just did not look right whatsoever during extended patches of Wednesday’s game. Mike Budenholzer, who made some aforementioned miscues of his own, spoke on the loss postgame:

"“They made the plays. They made the shots. And we didn’t do enough defensively or offensively to push it through in the fourth.”"

Offensively, the Bucks looked like a shell of themselves from the night before. The team shot a mere 40-of-102 from the field, just 39.2 percent on the night. A substantial chunk of their offensive shortcomings on the night came from their starting lineup, excluding Giannis Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Donte DiVincenzo shot a combined 15-of-55 from the field, which was simply atrocious.

While none of their performances proved to be anything to rave about, Middleton, in particular, had a bad night.

The two-time All-Star has started the season off on fire offensively, having averaged 26.3 points while shooting over 50 percent from the field and 3-point territory throughout the first four games of the season. However, he cooled off on the second night against the Heat after scoring just eight points on 3-of-15 shooting, including going 0-of-4 from behind the arc.

Defensively, Miami’s lethal 3-point shooting showed itself throughout this game, but they simply outmatched the Bucks entirely. It was undoubtedly a rough going for the Bucks as they close out 2020 with a loss, but they will have to put it behind them as they enter the New Year looking to get back to their winning ways.

The Milwaukee Bucks will take on their central division rivals in the Chicago Bulls on New Year’s Day, and be sure to catch tip-off at 7:00 p.m. central time on Fox Sports Wisconsin.