The Milwaukee Bucks are spiraling out of control.
Through their first 10 games, they are now just 2-8. Their latest loss came against the Boston Celtics, one of the most formidable teams out there. While the Bucks came play early, building a 14-point lead before the first timeout, issues that have plagued them all season, plenty of them self-inflicted, made their present felt in this game like a dam bursting.
In the end, Boston flexed their championship pedigree and looked calm as they overcame the deficit, while the Bucks played like a team not used to having a lead. It's been that kind of year for Milwaukee to this point. When the final buzzer sounded in Fiserv Forum, the Celtics walked away with a 113-107 victory to continue their strong start to the season.
Let's look at two studs and two duds from yet another loss.
Stud - Giannis Antetokounmpo
After an explicit rant following the team's last loss, it was clear that Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to send a message in this one. Early, he looked excellent, helping put the Milwaukee Bucks up by double digits in the first frame. For the most part, that carried on throughout the game, and he finished with a strong line of 43 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Hard not to reward him for that.
Yet, though he earned stud status, Antetokounmpo was not perfect. After seeing a couple of jumpers fall early, he became too reliant on them late in the game, just without the same success rate. With the Milwaukee Bucks' offense stuck in the mud late, these types of shots were not what they needed. The Greek Freak could have possibly had 50 if he dialed it back on these shots and attacked.
Still, he was one of the bright spots.
Dud - Damian Lillard
There was no indication of it, but Damian Lillard played this contest as if he were under the weather. Throughout almost all of his 35 minutes, nothing looked right. He scored just 14 points on a horrific 4-of-15 shooting, which included 1-of-8 from downtown. He put up multiple air balls in this game, a rarity for a shooter like him. He also finished with three ugly turnovers and three personal fouls.
To sum things up, Lillard finished this game with a plus/minutes of -14, the worst in the entire game. Sure, Boston has plenty of good guard defenders, such as Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, but the mistakes he was making were even uncharacteristic under those circumstances, especially given how hot he had been lately.
Stud - AJ Green
After Doc Rivers strangely didn't feature him in the rotation to start the season, AJ Green has finally received extended action lately, and he's taking advantage. In this game, he came off the bench and sunk four of his six 3-pointers to finish with 12 points. With most of the Bucks unable to consistently throw a rock in the ocean, having a confident, young shooter like this has been a huge boost.
While his offense was excellent, Green also didn't look too bad defensively. He oftentimes took on the tough matchups, including Jayson Tatum, and he surprisingly held his own well. The guard also tallied three steals, showing signs of active hands. Green is clearly developing in his third season, and he is more than capable of taking on a larger role for the Bucks.
Dud - Brook Lopez
Defensively, Brook Lopez looked better in this game than he did in the previous outing against the New York Knicks, where he was taken advantage of almost every trip down the court. He did have three nice blocks against Boston, to his credit, as he provided some support close to the hoop, but his consistent struggles on offense are haunting this team.
In what has been the least-productive offensive season of his career to date, Lopez finished this game with just six points on 2-of-6 shooting. That just cannot happen. While the big man's outside shooting has always been a strong point, he has completely fallen off a cliff in that regard. Even if the shot isn't falling, rarely does he think to attack the hoop inside to see something drop.
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