After a string of solid wins, the Milwaukee Bucks reverted back to their frustrating ways with a close loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
After a back-and-forth game, the Bucks had a shot to tie at the buzzer, but Brook Lopez's turnaround jumper just missed. The end result was a 108-106 victory for the Suns as Mike Budenholzer got a win against the franchise that dismissed him. Phoenix, particularly Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, made big plays down the stretch, but the Bucks will be kicking themselves due to their missed free throws.
Bucks' free throw shooting dooms them in their loss to Phoenix
The Milwaukee Bucks earned 29 free throw attempts in this contest, 11 more than their counterpart, but they only made 20 of them.
One particular player who had a tough time at the stripe was Giannis Antetokounmpo. Though he had a strong overall game with 31 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, the Greek Freak left some food on the table by going just 6-of-13 (46.2 percent). That was particularly true in the final minutes, where he missed a pair of free throws that would have tied things up. In a two-point loss, that adds up.
Antetokounmpo's free throw struggles are not a new revelation, but even in his worst season, he has around a 60 percent success rate. Performances like this, where he hits below 50 percent, serve as a reminder that this is a demon he simply might not be able to exorcise. Given everything else he does, a few missed free throws aren't the end of the world, but in such a close game, they sting.
Giannis wasn't the only Buck responsible for some missed free throws, especially late in the contest. Brook Lopez had a chance to put the Milwaukee Bucks up by a point with 11 seconds, but he knocked down just one of his two attempts from the stripe. He was flawless outside of that with his five makes, but one would have loved to see him sink both in the clutch.
The missed free throws are not the only reason the Milwaukee Bucks fell short in this particular one. While he's been on a tear lately, Kevin Porter Jr. had a tough shooting night, while AJ Green's slump continued to plague him. The free throws certainly stand out because of how things played out late, but the Milwaukee Bucks had plenty of other shortcomings.
With the Milwaukee Bucks banged up and missing key bodies, things will not be easy, but they must bounce back from this tough last-second loss.
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