Last night’s contest between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets was far from an ideal start in Game 1 of this series.
Despite Brooklyn losing All-Star guard James Harden within the first minute of the game as he left with a recurring hamstring issue, they handled their business and took Milwaukee down 115-107. Although the final difference was merely eight points, the Nets were in firm control of this game throughout the entirety of the second half after the Bucks tried to make things competitive during the first two quarters.
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Milwaukee’s players looked lifeless on both ends of the court during the final 24 minutes after trailing by just two at the break. Seemingly devoid of any energy or overall motivation whatsoever to win this matchup, it was an embarrassing loss to open the series for the Bucks.
With their first loss of the postseason in the books, they must head back to the drawing board and devise a much better game plan for Game 2 as Milwaukee needs to steal homecourt and tie up the series.
Before that game tips off tomorrow night, here are three takeaways from a lackluster overall performance in last night’s Game 1 matchup.
The Milwaukee Bucks go cold from the outside in Game 1 loss to Nets
Just as we saw in their Game 1 matchup against the Miami Heat last round, the Bucks opened up this series ice cold from behind the arc. Shooting just 6-for-30 (20 percent) from long range in this one, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the association could not buy a bucket from distance.
Although it was certainly a collective effort with this poor shooting night, one player that stood out among the bunch was second unit shooting guard Bryn Forbes. Milwaukee’s typical sharpshooter off the bench shot just 2-for-8 overall, including 1-for-5 from deep to have virtually little impact in this contest. After torching the Heat in round one throughout all four matchups, it was different seeing Forbes unable to catch his rhythm. His shooting will be a massive boost for the Bucks when the shot is falling, but last night just was not his night.
Meanwhile, the Nets were solid from behind the line by shooting 15-for-40 (37.5 percent). Yet, Brooklyn’s leading tandem of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant shot a combined 4-of-15 from three, managing to get some help from the supporting cast. Joe Harris knocked down a game-high five triples while Blake Griffin followed close behind with four of his own. Having these two combine for nine triples is far from ideal for the Bucks, especially given how poor Durant and Irving had been from the outside.
The Bucks managed to find their outside stroke following an abysmal shooting outing in Game 1 last round, and one can only hope they do the same following last night’s blunder.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ new backcourt struggles mightily in Game 1 loss
Given the season-ending injury to Donte DiVincenzo, the Bucks pulled a new card by shifting around the starting lineup to include P.J. Tucker.
That meant sliding typical small forward Khris Middleton into the shooting guard slot to form a backcourt with Jrue Holiday running the point. While it was a nice idea given the matchup afoot, those two certainly did not provide much optimism following the horrendous showings they individually pieced together.
First and foremost, there is no avoiding how bad Middleton was from start to finish. Chipping in just 13 points, clearly far below his typical quote, the forward was highly inefficient by shooting just 6-for-23 from the floor, including 0-for-5 from distance. It was disheartening watching him continue to heave shots from all over the floor when he could simply not get relatively anything to drop with consistently, even on shots closer to the basket.
Although he contributed elsewhere by hauling in 13 rebounds and dishing out four assists, those scoring numbers will not cut in. The Bucks need Middleton to produce at a higher level with much greater efficiency, especially if they will go toe-to-toe offensively with this high-octane-scoring Brooklyn team. It goes without saying that this version of Middleton cannot stick around or things will head south for the Bucks rather quickly.
While the finger has largely been pointed in his direction, Holiday also had his struggles throughout the matchup. Although he finished right around his regular season average with 17 points, it was a highly inefficient outing as he shot just 7-for-19 from the floor, including 2-for-7 from deep. Missing two of his three foul shots as well, it was an all-around bad night in scoring the ball for Holiday. Also logging three turnovers thanks to some questionable decision-making with the basketball, it was far from the guard’s best night, despite tallying nine rebounds and six assists.
These two must bounce back in Game 2 for the Bucks to stand a chance or they will likely be doomed to suffer the same dreaded fate.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez provide a lifeline for the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 loss
While the backcourt struggled mightily to contribute, the Bucks’ big men were seemingly the only pulse they had in this matchup.
Giannis Antetokounmpo paved the way by finishing with a game-high 34 points on 16-for-24 shooting from the floor. Despite logging a troublesome five turnovers, the two-time MVP was undoubtedly clicking offensively in this matchup as he continues his hot streak against the Nets. Also notching 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocked shots, Antetokounmpo made his presence felt all over the floor.
Another thing that undoubtedly stands out about his performance is that he logged these numbers in just 35 minutes of action. That is far below where the 26-year-old should be at, especially with the team playing from behind for most of the second half. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has been widely criticized for his minutes distribution tactics in the postseason. It appears that the issue is resurfacing after it was largely a non-factor in round one.
The same frustration with minutes was prevalent for starting center Brook Lopez, who played just 27-and-a-half despite having a fantastic game. The big man finished with 19 points on a highly efficient 8-of-11 shooting from the floor while also grabbing five boards and handing out a single assist. Despite being one of the two lifelines for the Bucks, Lopez found himself off the floor for long stretches, partially due to the defensive matchups provided.
Yet, size remains a massive advantage for the Bucks in this series, particularly with Giannis. Both he and Lopez showcased that they could dominate the smaller Nets close to the basket and that aggressiveness could be the key to bouncing back in Game 2.
Only time will tell there, but it will be captivating to see what the team has prepared for tomorrow’s Game 2 in Brooklyn. It should be a thrilling contest and you can watch that action at 6:30 p.m. CST on TNT.