The Milwaukee Bucks entered Friday night’s game against the New York Knicks with a 4-4 record, which was solid, given the injuries to their roster early.
They looked to be heading toward 5-4 after a brilliant first quarter that saw them build a lead that grew to as large as 21 points in the second quarter. However, no lead is safe in today’s NBA, which the Bucks found out firsthand last night as they helplessly squandered that lead to lose 113-98 at Fiserv Forum. Everything beyond the first quarter was frustrating to witness, and the Bucks, while still missing several key pieces, will have to look in the mirror after letting it slip away. Everyone is wanting to put this loss in the rearview, but before that, here are three takeaways from the game.
Grayson Allen’s best game yet with the Milwaukee Bucks goes down in vein after the team blows a lead
It is rare that there are many positive takeaways from a loss, especially one in this fashion, but the outlier here was Grayson Allen.
Milwaukee’s starting shooting guard clocked in his best effort yet with the franchise as he finished with 22 points on 8-for-12 field goal shooting, including 6-of-9 from distance. Allen immediately came out hot on the offensive end as he helped spark a 38 point first quarter for the Bucks, which helped set the tone initially before the collapse. With Khris Middleton slated to miss a significant amount of time following a positive COVID-19 test, the Bucks will need more performances such as this one from Allen. Although those are certainly big shoes to fill as Middleton is Milwaukee’s second-leading scorer, the guard showed last night that he could score the basketball at will.
Allen’s night was justifiably all about his offense, but he stuffed the stat sheet all around, finishing with five rebounds, two assists, along with a block and a steal each. Whether it was cleaning the glass or playing some energetic defense, Allen was all over the place for the Bucks in the loss. His hustle and presence will be crucial for the Bucks, particularly as they look to dig themselves out of this slump, having lost four of their last five games. Hopefully, this great performance can help the guard establish a sustainable groove moving forward.