Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ tough loss to Portland Trail Blazers

By Dalton Sell

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 14: Anfernee Simons #1 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles the ball against Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at Fiserv Forum on February 14, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 14: Anfernee Simons #1 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles the ball against Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at Fiserv Forum on February 14, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 14 (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

An abundance of turnovers from Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday doomed the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks

Without Antetokounmpo available to play, the Bucks needed big performances from their next two stars in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Unfortunately, the pair struggled to find a groove as they both had troublesome performances throughout most of the night.

Middleton was particularly off as he delivered one of his most sluggish performances of the entire season to this point. The forward scored just 16 points on a vile 3-of-15 shooting, including 1-of-8 from 3-point territory, as he could not consistently buy a bucket from start to finish. A large part of his production came from the free throw line, where Middleton shot 9-of-10 to put much-needed points on the board and simply see the ball go in the hoop for a change. While he did haul in a solid 11 rebounds and dish out nine assists to nearly notch a triple-double, Middleton’s awful shooting numbers certainly stand out the most from his performance.

As for Holiday, he had much more luck shooting the basketball as he went 9-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three en route to scoring 23 points. After a tough start to the game, Holiday finally flipped the switch and found his groove, particularly late as he knocked down some triples that were key in Milwaukee’s late-game comeback attempt. With six assists and two steals to go along with it, it was a productive outing for Holiday on almost every front.

Holiday was outright horrendous handling the basketball throughout this game as he finished with an astounding seven turnovers. It was outright brutal to watch the guard with the basketball in his hands on several possessions as his sloppiness led to a handful of opportunities for Portland, who capitalized again and again. Middleton was slightly better as he tallied four turnovers of his own, but that is nothing to be too proud of either. Milwaukee’s star-studded tandem combined for 11 of the team’s 13 giveaways against Portland, which proved troublesome all night.

Ball security has been an issue for the Bucks all season, and that was only amplified after this ugly showing last night between the team’s top two available players.

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