Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 129-115 loss to Utah Jazz

The Milwaukee Bucks have not won a game as the visiting team against the Utah Jazz since 2001, and that streak continued Friday night.

Utah took firm control of the contest early and never looked back, with Milwaukee’s biggest lead being just a single point in the first quarter. At the 2:41 mark in the second quarter of action, the Jazz built up a double-digit lead that the Bucks were never able to chip away into single-digits, despite their efforts.

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The Jazz held a sizeable 21-point lead at one point and eventually won 129-115.  With this win, Utah tacked on their 17th win in their last 18 games to bolster their league-best record of 21-5 this season. This team has always been a formidable opponent for the Bucks, but Friday’s loss was just brutal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo paved the way with another strong performance, scoring 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting while also tallying 15 rebounds and six assists. Brook Lopez also had a strong outing, logging 23 points and six rebounds. Aside from that, there is not much to rave about from Milwaukee’s perspective.

The Bucks have now dropped two in a row and find themselves with a 16-10 overall record. They certainly have some issues to address before Sunday’s matchup, but here are three takeaways from the loss to Utah.

3 takeaways from loss to Utah Jazz — Milwaukee Bucks get little support from the backcourt

Friday marked starting point guard Jrue Holiday’s third consecutive missed game due to the league’s health and safety protocols, and the Bucks have certainly missed him.

Holiday’s absence meant that Bryn Forbes would notch his third straight start in the backcourt, and he did not exactly come out of the gates firing as he did in his last outing. In just over 20 minutes of burn, Forbes finished with five points, shooting 2-of-6 from the floor and 1-of-5 from 3-point territory Friday.

Consistency has been an issue for Forbes offensively, and Friday’s game was undoubtedly one of his more subpar showings. It also goes without saying that Forbes cannot replicate the two-time All-Defensive stature that Holiday provides in the starting lineup, which was apparent all night long in Utah.

Meanwhile, his running mate, Donte DiVincenzo, was not much better. The third-year guard finished with just five points and shot an abysmal 2-of-9 from the field and 1-of-4 from deep. He has also battled with inconsistency issues throughout this season, and he simply could not get the wheels turning Friday night.

Depending on how long Jrue is sidelined, these two will continue to get their opportunities starting alongside one another in the backcourt. When they provide such minimal contributions as they did Friday night, however, the Bucks are not likely to walk away as the winners. In short, these two need to play better consistently.