In what was potentially the NBA’s game of the year, the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Phoenix Suns in anticlimactic fashion due to a late foul call.
With the game knotted at 127 in overtime with 0.3 seconds left to play, Phoenix’s Devin Booker went to the free throw line after a questionable foul call on P.J. Tucker and Booker shot 1-for-2 to hand Milwaukee their second consecutive loss. Losing in such fashion with a final score of 128-127, this defeat undoubtedly ranks among the most heartbreaking for the Bucks this season.
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It was another defeat that came at the hands of some late-game blunders, something that has been a recurring theme for Milwaukee throughout the season. In fact, they suffered a similar fate against this very same opponent as they fell to Phoenix in a 125-124 loss on February 10.
Something about those Suns always has the Bucks playing it close down to the final seconds. Just as it did the first time around, this loss will certainly sting for the foreseeable future, particularly as the Bucks are still within striking distance of climbing higher in the Eastern Conference standings.
Only time will tell how this game impacts their chances of gunning for a higher seed, but here are three takeaways from the Bucks’ crushing overtime loss to the Suns last night.
Milwaukee Bucks lose the 3-point battle in loss to Suns
The Bucks have been among the best 3-point shooting teams in the association this season, but they could not throw the ball into the ocean for a large portion of last night’s contest.
Milwaukee shot just 2-of-15 from behind the arc in the first half against Phoenix, miraculously only trailing by one with a 55-54 difference at the break. They were able to find some rhythm in the second half by shooting 9-of-19 from distance, but a 32.4 percent outing from long-range typically spells doom for the Bucks. They kept pace with the Suns by scoring a hefty portion of their points close to the basket by logging a whopping 64 points in the paint throughout the contest.
Yet, it was not enough as Phoenix was lighting it up from 3-point range all night long by knocking down 40.5 percent of their triples. Shooting 17-of-42 in total from range, the Suns kept this game close by consistently torching the Bucks with a barrage of triples. Whenever Milwaukee appeared like they might be prepared to make a run, it seemed like Mikal Bridges or Cameron Johnson, who shot a combined 8-for-13 from deep on the evening, would knock down another triple.
Guarding the perimeter continues to be a looming issue for Milwaukee as the end of the regular season inches closer. While knocking down their own attempts would have helped, it is clear that this team still has yet to figure out the formula defensively.
P.J. Tucker gets some late-game action for the Milwaukee Bucks in loss to Suns
It was P.J. Tucker that caused the controversial whistle to send Devin Booker to the charity stripe and lose Milwaukee the game. It was certainly a questionable call, particularly given how the game had been played to that point, but it was great to see head coach Mike Budenholzer run with him late in the game.
Tucker checked in with 1:18 left in the fourth last night with the Bucks trailing 114-111. The forward held his own against Phoenix big man Deandre Ayton, ensuring that he would not score down the stretch. After sitting for nearly the first minute of the overtime, Tucker checked back in at the 4:02 mark of the OT, where he closed the entirety of the game. He played some fantastic defense in that stretch and knocked down a huge corner triple to tie the game with just over a minute left to play.
That final foul call unquestionably hurts, but it was welcoming to see Tucker out there in crunch time, nevertheless. The Bucks traded for the 35-year-old before the deadline because they knew he could strengthen their efforts on the defensive end, particularly in scenarios like these. However, the team could not run their ideal small-ball lineup when Giannis Antetokounmpo went down shortly in the overtime with cramps and did not return.
Milwaukee’s small-ball lineup with Tucker at the four and Antetokounmpo will resurface again down the road, particularly if Brook Lopez struggles to this degree again in another close contest. The big man failed to find any rhythm on either side of the floor in the game, finishing with just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting. On defense, Lopez struggled mightily to keep Deandre Ayton in check as he finished with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 13 rebounds.
In games where Lopez becomes virtually unplayable, having Tucker will be a nice option for Budenholzer to utilize.
A dominant effort from the Big 3 is not enough for Milwaukee Bucks in loss to Suns
Milwaukee has one of the most star-studded trios in the league, and they displayed their firepower against Phoenix by combining for 84 of the team’s 127 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo paved the way before he went down in overtime by scoring a game-high 33 points on 12-for-22 shooting. Knocking down nine of his 10 attempts from the charity stripe, it was a great scoring outing for the MVP while also chipping in eight rebounds, two assists, along with a block and a steal apiece.
Right behind Antetokounmpo was Khris Middleton, who finished with 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting. Although he struggled mightily to get anything to drop offensively early on, the former All-Star turned things around late by hitting several clutch shots to keep Milwaukee afloat until the final buzzer sounded. Also tallying seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals, Middleton stuffed the stat sheet and nearly led the Bucks to an overtime victory with their best player sidelined.
Last but certainly not least, Jrue Holiday continued his recent stretch of excellence for the Bucks by tallying 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor while also dishing out eight assists. He was also working persistently on the defensive end against Chris Paul and Devin Booker, finishing the night with two steals and a single blocked shot.
Although they came up short, it was a stellar outing to see Milwaukee’s top trio in full force.
It was a heartbreaking defeat, and the Bucks will have little time to wallow as they have another pivotal test coming to town as they will face the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. This will be a key game to make up some difference in the standings, and you can catch the action at 6:00 p.m. CST on TNT.