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.
Jrue Holiday looked incredibly -and understandably – rusty in his return to action for the Milwaukee Bucks
While the Bucks are still far from healthy, they got some much-needed reinforcements last night in the form of Jrue Holiday. After last playing on October 23, Holiday made his return to the lineup after battling through a laundry list of issues that included a heel contusion, an ankle sprain, and a cold that hindered his availability. Due to those circumstances, many expected the guard to show signs of rust, and they were indeed correct.
Coming off the bench, Holiday could not find any rhythm all night as he finished with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-3 from behind the arc. The guard was not expected to magically be back to his true form on the offensive end after the extended absence, but his shot selection and overall finishing were tough to watch. The same sentiment goes for his facilitating, as he finished with three assists and a glaring five turnovers in the loss. It was a rather tough return to action for the guard, but fans should certainly be glad to see him back out on the floor.
Everyone that watched the title run knows how important Holiday is to this team. What he brings to the floor on both ends is virtually irreplaceable, and one bad game after the layoff should not be a deterring sign. It will take time for Holiday to get his legs back under him after an early bout with injuries and sickness, and last night was the first step in that direction. He was limited to just a bit over 20 minutes of action last night, as head coach Mike Budenholzer is known to keep his players monitored when they are working their way back into the lineup. That will increase with time, and Holiday will undoubtedly begin to play better basketball.
Welcome back, Jrue.
The Milwaukee Bucks miss Brook Lopez, plain and simple
Brook Lopez has appeared in just one game this season as he endures nagging back soreness, and the Bucks have missed him dearly. They have tried to compensate for the loss by piecing together more lineups with Giannis Antetokounmpo at center, and although the Greek Freak is a dominant force of nature, he does not bring that same stature at the position as Lopez.
For proof, look no further than the rebounding differential against the Knicks. New York won the battle of the boards convincingly with a 71-43 difference, owning Milwaukee. The Knicks grabbed an eye-popping 20 offensive rebounds, which allowed them to put 20 extra second-chance points on the scoreboard. On the other hand, the Bucks would grab just seven offensive rebounds for five second-chance points. Nerlens Noel and Julius Randle simply manhandled the Bucks on the glass, something that would not happen with Lopez in the fold.
Lopez would have also made a massive difference when it came to the paint scoring in this game. The undersized Bucks could not stop the Knicks as New York outscored them 54-28 down in the paint throughout this game. Lopez has established himself as a lethal rim-protecting big man in Milwaukee, which they missed dearly last night.
It was nice to have Bobby Portis back on the floor after he also missed time with injuries early, but he is not the defender that Lopez is. Antetokounmpo will have to continue playing the bulk of his minutes at center until Lopez returns, but they will struggle to win games if the opposing team is outscoring them by that much in the paint and dominating the glass in a similar fashion.
The Bucks will aim to get back on the right track as they take on the Washington Wizards Sunday at 5:00 p.m. CST. Be sure to catch the action on Bally Sports Wisconsin for those viewing locally.