The Bucks lost their fourth straight game on Thursday night in dispiriting fashion. Facing a Memphis team playing on the second of a back-to-back with six players sidelined, including starters Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart, the Bucks — who had two days off and a practice leading into contest — struggled once again to make outside shots and to get back for transition defense following those misfires, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was one of the few bright spots for the Bucks, finishing with 37 points (on 17-of-22 shooting), 11 rebounds and four assists. The Bucks were even with Memphis during Antetokounmpo’s 34 minutes, and were outscored by 24 points in the 14 minutes he didn’t play. He said the early-season struggles have been “frustrating.”
“Losing, it’s frustrating,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we are doing the right things. Like (Wednesday) night we arrived in Memphis and we came together as a team, watched film. Not as eight, nine guys that play. We watched film, we talk about, like what can we do better? What we’re not doing as good, let’s keep one another accountable. We’re doing the right thing.
“Coming (Thursday) in shootaround and talking about it, talking about our offense, talking about our defense. Everybody is doing the right thing. I see it in everybody’s eyes. They’re willing to do the right thing to win games and sometimes it’s not going to go your way.
“This is part of the season it’s not going our way. But, losing two, losing three, losing four, losing five, losing six in row; losing one, it’s always frustrating. But, again, my dad used to say, ‘Why do (you) whine if you’re not going to give up?’ So I’m not going to give up.”
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- Damian Lillard will be looking to move past a woeful night in Memphis, Owczarski notes, as the star point guard finished with just four points (tied for a career low) on 1-of-12 shooting. He was also repeatedly targeted by the Grizzlies on defense, tweets NBA analyst Zach Lowe. Lillard said he’s still trying to figure out how to make his mark in his second season with Milwaukee. “It’s hard, because I mean my entire career I’ve always been somebody who, like, if I can do one thing I can take over. I can take over a game,” Lillard said, per Owczarski. “I think I’ve joined a new team and my situation is different and I understand that it’s different, so I have to try to find a way to not just go back to what I’ve always done because it’s probably not always necessary. Or probably not necessary at all. So I think that’s probably the most difficult part is when things seem like it’s getting out of control or the going is getting tough, I’m able to put my hands on it a little bit more. I think just not really being in that role is a little bit more difficult. It’s more of a process to figure out for me.”
- According to Owczarski, while head coach Doc Rivers was pleased with the team’s “spirit,” he was not happy with the transition or perimeter defense, with Ja Morant (26 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists) proving to be a major problem. “… The defensive transition was still awful tonight,” Rivers said as part of a larger quote. “And, so that’s on me. Like, everything’s on me until we get it right. We’ve got to fix this.”
- Although he has yet to play 5-on-5, which Rivers has said is necessary before he can make his 2024/25 debut, veteran wing Khris Middleton told Eric Nehm of The Athletic he hasn’t experienced any injury setbacks following offseason surgeries on both ankles. “I feel good, just not good enough to play that’s all,” Middleton said. “That’s really all I can say at this point. And just working to get back on the court. I’m feeling better and better each day just not good enough to play yet.“
- Lowe (Twitter links) and Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports are among the analysts raising red flags following Milwaukee’s poor start, though both acknowledge it’s still very early, with plenty of time for the Bucks to turn things around.
I can help this team win it all again
Welcome to the Doc Rivers era.
Giannis needs to get himself on out of there.
Giannis got himself into this. He deserves to sink with the ship.
When they went after lillard and trade away Holiday sunk them. Lillard is great offensively but not on defense.
Giannis and Steph WILL happen. Bet on it. Likely after this season, but who knows if Giannis requests a trade, I dont even know how it would work or what it would look like, but it’s likely going to happen. Steph loves Giannis.
@ Davey, say Giannis actually asks out. What package can the warriors come up with.
Crickets.
I think the only way Giannis comes to the Warriors is if he specifically asks to be traded there. I think the chances of that are zero with Steph’s age.
Giannis still has whatever good years left.., 5? Steph Maybe this and the next.
I’m hearing Miami or somewhere else on the East Coast, which cuts off 6 hours of flight time when going home to Greece as opposed to the West Coast.
All this stuff factors in when you have one ring in your pocket and you start going 100% instead of 150%.
Being over the second apron, Milwaukee has its hands tied if they were to try to make a personnel move. That won’t stop the media from using this situation to speculate.
Rockets are targeting Giannis
They don’t want Middleton contract
Trade idea
Bucks get FVV, Sheppard, Sengun and 3 Suns Firsts
Rockets get Giannis and filler
Giannis hand picked teammates and coaches, he got himself in this situation
Yeah, this is bad. The Bucks had a chance with Griffin’s relentless preparation and shift to a more offensive playstyle, but Doc both can’t make adjustments and is very unsuited to running an uptempo offense (and apparently Giannis and Lillard couldn’t handle Griffin’s coaching style either, which is very lame). Doc has only had one season where he’s finished as a serious contender with a Pace in the top 10 in the NBA, and that was the Bubble Clippers, and we know what happened there. The best teams he’s ever run have been largely half-court offense, which the Bucks aren’t suited to.
I mean, yeah there’s that.
Also, Milwaukee isn’t that good. Giannis, Lilliard, Middleton, and Brook Lopez’s corpse don’t scare anyone, especially because their bench blows.
There are worse bench units than Portis/Prince/Beauchamp/Connaughton/Delon Wright, but yeah, that doesn’t help. Portis is carrying a lot of weight there.
There are worse, but this is not a championship level roster.
They can’t exactly fix that, though. The cap rules have them in limbo, and they did what they could with adding Trent and Prince. But Doc’s hiring was a bad move before it even happened, and he’s done nothing *but* prove that since.
Oh, I am aware. Purely pointing out the Bucks window is now closed.
Looking back at the bench unit from the championship season doesn’t really make it look that different, to be fair. Portis (who was not quite as good as he is now)/PJ Tucker/Pat Connaughton (about the same)/Bryn Forbes/Jeff Teague. Not really that different (Tucker’s was a better defender than Prince, but worse offensively, the PG situation isn’t much different, and Beauchamp is a little better than Forbes because he can play defense). The biggest difference is the lack of Jrue’s defense and a healthy Middleton, plus Lopez’s age. The starting unit’s defense is the biggest problem, combined with a coach who isn’t suited to their system.
I believe we are saying the same thing. They don’t have Jrue, Middleton and Lopez have lost a step, lilliard isn’t all that, and the bench is mid. 4 or 5 seed tops.
Lillard has lost a step too. Much worse the last two years than his prime. But considering the teams in front of them in the East on paper, (Celtics, Cavs, Knicks as of right now, with injuries and poor play dogging the rest), I think they do still have an outside shot. An unlikely one, absolutely, and zero with Doc. But if management wises up and sees that he’s not a fit there, they do have a (small) chance. The playoffs are a different animal in all sports, but only MLB’s playoffs create more randomness than the NBAs postseason.
“Also, Milwaukee isn’t that good. Giannis, Lilliard, Middleton, and Brook Lopez’s corpse don’t scare anyone”
Middleton hasn’t played a game this year and thats a massive reason why they are losing. They have replaced Middleton with Taurean Prince, who stinks.
Again, the Bucks are an example of a “top heavy” roster, the opposite of the Warriors, who go 13-deep. Now go look at where those teams are in the standings.
They got Prince as a backup and 3-and-D option, not as a Middleton replacement. Stopgap at most.
The Warriors have yet to face a good team. Check back on November 12th, once they’ve faced four contending teams (the Pelicans are a** and have no actual big men outside of their rookie 2nd rounder).
Cmon, everyone and their mother said GSW without Steph is a cellar dwelling team. The Pels were/are a bit undermanned too, but a Steph-less GSW beating the brakes off Zion and BI is not nothing. I do agree though, this upcoming road trip of Houston-Washington-Boston-Cleveland-OKC will show everyone just where this GSW team is at. If they win 3+, they are gunna win 55-65 games, easy. If they only beat the Wizards, then yeah, they are more middle of the pack.
I like how you don’t think Zion is a big man. That’s hilarious.
Offensively the Pelicans look good on paper, but they’re not in reality. Ingram looks like he couldn’t care in the least. Only reason he tried against Portland is his rivalry/baby momma situation with Anfernee Simons. Outside of that game, he looks like James Harden when he wanted out of Houston, minus the fat suit; ole defense and no sh*ts given about making the right plays. They’ve scored 105 ppg, which is ass. No point guard (Alvarado is GPII with speed as his best attribute rather than length, McCollum is a SG and also hurt). The defense is sh*t right now also.
Zion is a big man on offense but not on defense, which is where it matters most. Zion has minimal defensive chops. Ditto Daniel Theis. Herb Jones is a wing and also injured. The Pels don’t have a defender who can handle the paint at all, so they have to pack the middle, which weakens their perimeter defense.
On top of that, Zion hasn’t looked good on offense either. Jerami Grant had him in purgatory, and so did Kyle Anderson. He’s looked bad.
I was never on the train of the Warriors being cellar dwellers without Steph. They have too many decent players to be that bad. But they haven’t faced any actually good teams yet. The Pels, Jazz, and Blazers provide minimal competition (injuries shortening the rotation or not, the Pels look horrible), and the Clippers outplayed them with superior defense, and they *were* expected to be a cellar dweller without Kawhi.
Davey You’ve played 5 games, 4 of them against teams who’ll probably miss the playoffs.
From what i saw of the game they play no defense. Memphis wasn’t even playing with some of their best players but picked apart that defense. Bucks are looking very bad. You can’t expect to win with just offensive players.
*You can’t expect to win with Doc Rivers as your HC.
I mean, you can in the regular season. He’s a playoff choker, not a regular season dullard.
The problem with the play in is the same as the playoffs. You can’t play your way into them early in the season, you can play your way out of both this early.
We are seeing this with the Bucks and Nuggets and are not willing to accept it. There’s a good chance the Heat and Sixers join them.
Lakers and Clippers as well.
I have been harping on the decline for two years now in my more serious fourm when it comes to this decline.
The answer to these complaints is to sign aged stars to ridiculous contract extensions in an effort to stay relevant in the social media.
There are no places to move these players because to many need to be moved off these fading teams at the same time.
Giannis will be a member of the Heat.
Low-key I can see Houston being involved since they didn’t like any of the free agent class either.
Pop would have this team winning by 20. Doc is overrated…