In their first game back from the All-Star break, the Milwaukee Bucks hosted the Brooklyn Nets in a prime-time matchup last night. However, the Nets were far from full-strength, as they would be without two of their three stars in Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons. Though Kyrie Irving was able to play for Brooklyn, it seemed clear that Milwaukee had a clear advantage. Yet, this one did not quite pan out in their favor due to a horrendous second half.
Holding a 59-53 lead over the Nets at halftime, the Bucks looked to be in good shape. However, in typical Milwaukee fashion, they collapsed in the third quarter. The Nets won the quarter 43-34 in a grueling 12-minute stretch for the Bucks, where they looked as discombobulated as ever. They did battle back to trail by just three points after the third period and even regained the lead in the final quarter, but the Bucks fell apart down the stretch and let the Nets crawl right back into the game, ultimately losing by three points.
Given the circumstances of Brooklyn’s roster and how well-rested Milwaukee should have been for this game, the end result is embarrassing. With all that being said, here are three takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks’ first game back from the break.
The Milwaukee Bucks doomed themselves with a poor night at the free throw line against the Brooklyn Nets
Free throws have always been an Achilles heel for the Bucks, but last night was certainly one of their worst shooting nights at the stripe in a long time. They shot an ugly 25-of-38 (65.8 percent) from the line, which stings when considering that Milwaukee lost by only three points.
The Bucks missed several timely free throws, including a handful from Jrue Holiday. The guard had a chance to extend Milwaukee’s lead to three late in the fourth with a pair of free throw attempts, but he missed both. Holiday would be tasked with hitting two more clutch free throws with seven seconds left to play and the Bucks trailing by three points, but he missed the first before making the second. He finished 4-of-8 at the line, which proved fatal as the team lost by three points.
Grayson Allen had a chance to tie the game late after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, but the typically-great free throw shooter uncharacteristically missed the second attempt. Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton each missed two free throws, while Giannis Antetokounmpo missed four of his attempts, though he did shoot it well overall – by his standards – at 12-of-16.
It would certainly be tough for the Bucks to win a contest where they shot just 65.8 percent from the line. Missing 13 free throws is outright unacceptable, especially considering how many came late in the game when the Bucks had some semblance of a pulse. Foul shooting has been a huge issue for the Milwaukee Bucks for quite some time, and it flat-out cost them this game last night.
Several self-inflicted errors by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday fueled the Milwaukee Bucks’ loss to Brooklyn Nets
While free throws were a significant issue for the Bucks against the Nets, some would argue that the decision-making by Milwaukee’s stars was even worse.
Despite putting up solid numbers with 19 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, Holiday could not handle the basketball all night long. The guard tallied seven turnovers for the game, the exact number that the Nets had as a team. Whether it was poor passing or just sloppiness while having the basketball in his hands, Holiday put the Bucks in bad positions consistently as the Nets made sure to capitalize off his countless errors. The veteran floor general has had several games where he has a turnover-frenzy this season, and last night was yet another to add to the list. His subpar free throw shooting certainly did not help either.
Antetokounmpo also made his share of puzzling decisions throughout this one. Although he did add four turnovers of his own, most of his poor choices were made with his shot selection, as he shot just 8-of-20 (40 percent) from the floor. That is far below his typical quota, largely because the Greek Freak shot 1-of-6 from 3-point range. To be clear, two of those attempts were not his regular 3-point tries, with one being a heave at the end of the quarter and another being a tying attempt off a full-court pass in the final seconds. Still, several of Antetokounmpo’s other 3-point attempts were uncalled for at key points in the game. In a matchup like this, most of his scoring must be done close to the hoop, but these constant jumpers were just tough to witness.
These two undeniably have what it takes to be better, and hopefully this was just a rough patch.
Bobby Portis served as the lone bright spot for the Milwaukee Bucks as he had a career night
This game would have been far uglier for the Bucks had it not been for Bobby Portis. With others struggling, the big man stepped up by scoring a team-high 30 points on a very efficient 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) shooting from the floor while also pulling down 12 rebounds. It was certainly Portis’ best game of an incredible season thus far, mainly due to his electric 3-point shooting.
Portis was letting it fly from distance with confidence all night long, and it worked well as he shot an impressive 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from three. Hitting a new career-high eight triples in a game, Portis caught fire and helped shrink Milwaukee’s deficit on several occasions, serving as one of the team’s only consistent lifelines offensively. Although the Fiserv Forum crowd was cheering him on following every single make, there was not too much to celebrate as the Bucks could not seal the deal in the end.
In a game where the Bucks looked disinterested and devoid of any motivation, Portis served as the outlier with his strong performance. His shooting, scoring, rebounding, and even defensive effort all stood out throughout the night above all else, which helped the Bucks make this game more competitive than it looked like it might be in the second half. While he did miss two of his free throw attempts, Portis made up for it elsewhere.
This loss undoubtedly stings right now, especially given how tight the Eastern Conference is in the standings right now. This will set the Bucks back a few steps, and they will have a chance to make up some ground as they take on the Charlotte Hornets tomorrow night.
Be sure to catch the action at 7:00 p.m. CST on Bally Sports Wisconsin or NBA TV.