After a strong start, the Bucks’ struggles continue as they lose two out of four games this week.
The Bucks are now 3rd in the Eastern Conference, sitting 4.5 games out of 1st place.
Game 1 Monday, January 9th
Bucks 111 @ Knicks 107
Scoring Leaders:
Bucks-
Antetokounmpo 22 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST,2 BLK
Knicks-
Brunson 44 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST
The Bucks came in hot, taking the early lead. Yet the Knicks were not going to lose that easily. By the time the second quarter ended, the Knicks had control of the game. It was until the last 2 minutes of the game before the Bucks took the game back to secure the win. I’m happy the Bucks got the win, but the turnovers are killing this team. They had 14, luckily they still won but only by a slim margin this time. On a positive note, I am very happy with the chemistry between Giannis and Ingles. Not only that but Ingles has been showing why he belongs on this Bucks roster. He had a solid 17-point game, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. He’ll be great for the Bucks especially come playoff time.
Game 2 Wednesday, January 11th
Bucks 114 @ Hawks 105
Scoring Leaders:
Bucks-
Holiday 27 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL
Bogdanovic 22 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL
Slow night at the office for Giannis, but still no problem for the Bucks to handle. The Bucks came out hot, taking control of the game. It wasn’t until halfway through the 4th quarter that the Hawks caught up and gave the Bucks a problem. Although it was no good as the Bucks were able to hold on and take the win out of Atlanta. Fewer turnovers with 10, but still needs to be managed better.
Game 3 Thursday, January 12th
Bucks 102 @ Heat 108
Scoring Leaders;
Bucks-
Holiday 24 PTS, 6 REB, 11 AST, 1 BLK
Heat-
Vincent 28 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL
The Bucks started the game strong, taking over in the first quarter. By the time the second quarter ended, the Heat had evened the game. The third quarter was a dogfight, that the Heat came out on top of. The Bucks just couldn’t keep up with the Heat’s barrage inside the paint. The Bucks were severely depleted of players with only Holiday and Lopez, but the same could be said for the Heat with only Butler and Adebayo. Not to mention the Heats zone defense completely ate the Bucks. It caused the Bucks to speed up their offense which resulted in a lot of bad shots.
Game 4 Saturday, January 14th
Bucks 95 @ Heat 111
Scoring Leaders:
Bucks-
Portis 15 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL
Heat-
Vincent 27 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 5 STL
Another rough night for the Bucks without some of their cornerstone players. This was the Heat’s game from the start. The closest the Bucks got to catching up with the Heat was when they were within 6 points. However, that was short-lived with the Heat quickly pulling further ahead. The Bucks will have to learn how to beat the zone defense without Giannis otherwise facing the Heat in the playoffs will be a big challenge. I will note that it was reported on the sideline that Middleton had participated in full 5 on 5 practice. Now they did not give a definitive timeline for his return, but they are very hopeful about his return. Now I know Middleton has been out most of this year and when he did play it was abysmal, but he is a key to the Bucks success.
Next up the Bucks will face the Pacers, Raptors, and Cavaliers.
Josh Wilson