RSS Bucks Team Notes

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Preview & Game Thread: Bull in the headlights

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 03: Kyle Kuzma #18 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against Matas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum on February 03, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Milwaukee Bucks leave home briefly to take on the struggling Chicago Bulls in the Windy City this afternoon. The Bucks have won each of the three matchups this season, with this one wrapping up the season series. On its face, this game looks like a gimme for Milwaukee, but Chicago is on a huge losing streak and thus will probably come out with extra juice.

Where We’re At​

After winning eight of 10, the Bucks were brought back down to earth in their last game against the Knicks, losing by nearly 30 points. Milwaukee’s offence—which had been keeping them afloat—failed to fire against New York, leaving them dead in the water. They have been shooting the cover off the ball, with the highest effective field goal percentage in the NBA over the past 10 games, but they still need their defence to turn up—we’ll see if that happens today.

The Bulls… well, things have gone downhill fast (though that seems to be the goal). This team lost 11 straight games in February, the worst month in franchise history. The front office finally decided to bite the bullet and trade away franchise cornerstones Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu at the deadline for a bunch of seconds, hitting the eject button on this season in the process. How much higher will they be able to get in the lottery with so few games left? Probably not much, but hey, at least they’ve chosen a direction?

Injury Report​

For the Bucks, Giannis (calf) and Taurean Prince (neck) are both out.

For the Bulls, the following players are out: Zach Collins, Noa Essengue, Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons, Jalen Smith, and Patrick Williams.

Player To Watch​

After a mixed bag of games, I’m watching for what Ousmane Dieng can do today. Theoretically, this game should provide him a runway to explore more on offence than he’s been doing. In particular, I’m watching his free throw attempts. Dieng has taken a total of 10 free throws in eight games with the team. The criticism of him in OKC was that he didn’t play with enough force and aggression, and that hasn’t really changed with the Bucks—let’s hope it does today.

How To Watch​

FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 2:30 p.m. CST.

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Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/bucks-game...scussion-start-time-tv-schedule-injury-report

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Bucks vs. Bulls Player Grades: Kevin Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas dribble into blowout

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 1: Head coach Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on during the first half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on March 1, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images

March came in like a lamb for the Bucks at the United Center today: a 16-point first-half lead turned into a 120-97 laugher, thanks to a catastrophic 27-0 Bulls run and a 33-8 fourth quarter in the home team’s favor. Still, the Bucks finished the season series 3-1 over the Bulls. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.

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Player Grades​

Myles Turner​

21 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 3/10 FG, 2/5 3P, 3/4 FT, -20

Scoreless after the first quarter, and only five further shot attempts. In his defense, Doc wasn’t playing him much for whatever reason. Probably could have used his rim protection for more than nine second-half minutes, given that Chicago outscored Milwaukee 34-10 in the paint after half.

Grade: D+

Kevin Porter Jr.​

32 minutes, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4/16 FG, 0/1 3P, 2/2 FT, -23

A lot of really tough shots and few fell, especially inside. What I liked the least, though, was the open threes he passed up over and over again in the second half. Couldn’t stop Josh Giddey, who had a triple-double (and a surprising 14 rebounds).

Grade: D

AJ Green​

30 minutes, 13 points, 2 assists, 4 fouls, 4/11 FG, 4/11 3P, -20

Again, all his points in the first half. 0/3 in the second. Made some important ones early, but then disappeared. Offered next to nothing on the other end.

Grade: D+

Ryan Rollins​

34 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 steals, 5/11 FG, 1/6 3P, -19

The counting stats are decent until you get to the turnovers, which are a real problem of late with Rylo. His passing in the second quarter was outstanding, but his second half was a brickfest. Starting 4/4 and then going 1/7… hardly alone among the starters today.

Grade: C-

Kyle Kuzma​

23 minutes, 10 points, 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 4/5 FG, – 24

I’ll give him credit for being the only Buck to make any hay inside, but otherwise, nothing positive from Kuz today. Seemed too cavalier when he entered in the fourth quarter, and the Bucks continued getting wrecked.

Grade: D

Bobby Portis​

24 minutes, 18 points, 5 rebounds, 7/14 FG, 3/8 3P, +1

Too many middies (more on that later) and settling for jumpers, but at least they were falling. A key part of the Bucks’ second-quarter success, but also part of the unit that started to let the game slip away early in the fourth before checking out.

Grade: B–

Cam Thomas​

18 minutes, 15 points, 3 assists, 3/11 FG, 8/10 FT, +2

The type of scoring line that looks really efficient if you only look at the free throws. Dribbled the air out of the ball, gets to the line, took ill-advised jumpers… the Cam Thomas experience.

Grade: C–

Jericho Sims​

24 minutes, 2 points, 11 rebounds, 1/1 FG, +1

Excellent on the glass in the first half and five offensive boards for the game, but—stop me if you’ve heard this before—didn’t do anything after half. Also part of the unit I mentioned with Portis above, and was hardly near the rim when the Bulls started yamming on them.

Grade: C-

Ousmane Dieng​

21 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3/12 FG, 1/6 3P, -1

Dieng’s three-point shooting has cratered the last three games (2/14), but a chunk of his misses came in garbage time after the Bucks went down 19. Wasn’t on the floor for too much of the early fourth quarter cataclysm.

Grade: C

Doc Rivers​

Oh boy, where do I start? I’ll just give one of his postgame comments, but I have a lot more to say about today, which I’ll do in a separate place. Anyway, the Bucks missed 18 consecutive field goals from the third into the fourth quarter, and a lot were clean looks. Here’s what Doc had to say:

“I don’t care if it’s not in the paint. We’re getting wide-open threes. We’re one of the best shooting threes in the NBA. So if we take 30 of those, I can live with it. What I didn’t like is (that) we didn’t get the right shots. Half of them were twos, contested. That’s what bothered me in the game. Honestly, if we’d have got all those plays and they were wide-open threes and we had two points in the paint, but they were wide-open threes, I could go to sleep tonight. Because I know our guys got the right shots. I thought by the time we got the right shots, it was too late.”

Doc had earlier mentioned that “the good looks came after crappy basketball for the first 11 minutes of the third quarter.” Not addressing crappy basketball is bad enough. Moreover, shooters shoot, but to completely abandon anything inside?

Not that it was even a priority: the Bucks were 6/6 in the restricted area in the first half and 2/7 in the second half. Chicago had three injured in their frontcourt (Zach Collins, Jalen Smith, and Patrick Williams), so Nick Richards and Leonard Miller were their only guys above 6’8”. Matas Buzelis and Guerschon Yabusele rounded out an already-thin Bulls frontcourt post-deadline. Even without Giannis, Doc has five players 6’9” and up at his disposal, enough size and talent to deal with Chicago’s four. Not caring if their shots aren’t in the paint? To quote my colleague Jack Trehearne: diabolical.

Grade: F

Garbage Time: Gary Harris, Andre Jackson Jr., Pete Nance, Gary Trent Jr.

Inactive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alex Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Taurean Prince, Cormac Ryan

Bonus Bucks Bits​

• Eight points is the lowest any NBA team has scored in a regulation quarter this season. Milwaukee was 2/21 from the floor in the period.
• The Bulls’ 27-0 run was a franchise record. And that was the second-largest run the Bucks have ever given up: the worst was a 29-0 Cavs run at the Bradley Center in December 2009, as we found out postgame. For what it’s worth, the NBA record is 30-0.
• Portis asked us assembled reporters in the locker room post-game if we’d ever seen anything like that run. He hadn’t, and none of us had either—at least not in person.
• A few more stats on the Bucks’ epic drought: the 18 straight misses came between Cam Thomas’ lay-in at 1:23 in the third and Dieng’s dunk with 3:12 left in the game. That’s 10 minutes, 11 seconds.
• They also missed 15 consecutive threes across a slightly longer span. At half, they were 10/23 from deep, a nice 43.5%. In the second half: 3/23, 13%. 13/46 overall is 28.3%. Barf.
• There were seven minutes and 32 seconds between Bucks points, and it took them just over six minutes to register a point in the fourth.
• But the most damning thing: of those 18 straight misses I mentioned? They took only one shot within 10 feet: a Portis driving hook.
• For the game, they took 30 attempts in the paint, and the Bulls outscored them there 50-26. The disparity was particularly bad in the second half: Chicago was 17/20 in the paint, and Milwaukee shot just 5/17.
• It was a sloppy game overall with 37 combined turnovers (19 for Milwaukee, 18 for Chicago), and Chicago scored six more points off them than Milwaukee’s 14.
• Strangely enough, the Bucks had a sizeable shot advantage with 11 more field goal attempts than the Bulls. Part of that can be chalked up to the Bucks’ 11-7 edge on the offensive glass. Free throws were 23-17 in favor of the home team.
• Milwaukee racked up 19 first-half assists—their highest total in a half since opening night—on 25 made baskets. Then seven on 10 makes in the second half. I’m no Red Auerbach, but I’d say that means you should probably pass the ball more.
• In checking the shot chart, I was struck by this: the Bulls took only two shots between nine feet and the three-point line. The Bucks took… a whole lot more.
• Matas Buzelis put Portis on a poster early in the fourth, but it’s all love: the two exchanged jerseys after the game. Bobby says he may need another room at home in Arkansas for the collection he’s amassed from opponents.
• There was a baby race at halftime in the United Center. Only two of seven even made it off the starting line (the charity stripe), and one only made it a few feet. Everyone else just sat there. 11-month-old Will—the only one who truly crawled—annihilated the competition and was scooped up at midcourt by Benny the Bull after his victory. He was interviewed by the Bulls’ in-game emcee, and after showing brief tactile interest in the foamy microphone screen, he pushed it away.

Up Next​

This was the front end of a back-to-back, with a quick trip back to Milwaukee tonight to face the Boston Celtics tomorrow evening. Tip is 6:30 p.m. Central on Peacock and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/bucks-anal...layer-grades-stats-kevin-porter-jr-cam-thomas

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Rapid Recap: Bulls 120, Bucks 97

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 1: Collin Sexton #2 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 1, 2026 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

An absolutely, unequivocally, monstrously disastrous—which still might be putting it mildly—second half by the Milwaukee Bucks snapped the Chicago Bulls’ 11-game losing streak Sunday afternoon at the United Center. The Bucks scored eight points in the fourth quarter. Eight. It’s the first win for Chicago since January 31. They went 0-for-February, for crying out loud! Bobby Portis led Milwaukee with 18, and Collin Sexton had 22 for the victors.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap​

Myles Turner opened the game with back-to-back catch-and-shoot triples, propelling an early 8-0 Bucks run. Chicago tied the game midway through the period and were briefly in front, but Ryan Rollins and Cam Thomas splashed consecutive threes to stake Milwaukee ahead again. The Bulls knotted it up again twice inside the three minutes, though AJ Green and Cam Thomas answered each time to avoid falling behind. After one, the visitors led 32-30. Chicago took 21 shots in the first, and 18 came from deep.

Both sides mostly traded buckets in the opening two minutes before a 17-0 Milwaukee run gave them their largest margin yet at 16, forcing a Billy Donovan timeout at the 6:34 mark. All five of the Bucks’ field goals during that three-and-a-half-minute stretch were assisted. In the ensuing two minutes, the Bulls reduced their deficit to 10 thanks in part to two Bucks turnovers and a Bulls offensive rebound. Doc Rivers reassembled his starting lineup, and they suffered a couple similar miscues as Chicago cut it to seven… before a fast-break three from Green, plus the foul. He’d hit another in the final minute, part of an 11-2 Bucks run that cemented their 66-51 halftime edge.

After coughing the ball up seven times in the first half, the Bucks had six turnovers in the third’s opening five minutes. Chicago capitalized, whittling Milwaukee’s advantage to eight before Rivers finally called a timeout at 7:12. The starters kept bleeding points, and a couple missed layups by Kevin Porter Jr.—who got T’d up as he was subbed out—didn’t help, making it a one-point game inside five minutes, all part of a 22-7 Bulls run. A sloppy game at that: the Bulls made a number of gaffes too. Bobby Portis scored 11 in the next three-ish minutes, helping them rebuild an eight-point lead. But poor defense in the final minute made it 89-87 Bucks entering the fourth, a 36-23 quarter in Chicago’s favor.

Matas Buzelis immediately evened the score, and Collin Sexton’s jumper gave the Bulls their first lead since the clock read 10:57 back in the second. That was part of a 16-0 Chicago run spanning the quarter break, punctuated by Buzelis posterizing Ports at the rim, and Doc called his second timeout of the fourth exactly a minute after the first. The Bulls’ run extended to 27-0—twenty-seven to zero—before a KPJ free throw finally gave the Bucks their first points in 7:32 of gameplay. More stinky defense and shot selection put Chicago up 19 before Doc waived the white flag as Gary Trent Jr. and Gary Harris came to the scorers’ table with under five minutes to go. The Bulls kept mopping the floor with the Bucks, finishing the game on a 39-8 run going back to the final minute of the third.

Stat That Stood Out​

There are several ways to go here, but we’re going with Milwaukee’s utter ineptitude shooting the ball in the second half: 10/47 from the floor. “Good” for 21.3%.

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/bucks-scor...cago-bulls-final-score-recap-blowout-27-0-run

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Rapid Recap: Celtics 108, Bucks 81

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 02: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball against Luka Garza #52 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum on March 02, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The return of Giannis wasn’t enough to propel the Milwaukee Bucks over the Boston Celtics (who were missing All-Star wing Jaylen Brown and starting center Neemias Queta), losing 108-91. It’s the third straight loss by 20 or more for the Bucks. Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 25 points on 5/10 shooting from beyond the arc. Giannis carried a sluggish Bucks offense with 19 points and 11 rebounds on 7/18 shooting.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap​

Ousmane Dieng was tapped to join the starting five in Giannis’ return, with Ryan Rollins heading to the bench. The Ous got loose early, scoring five of Milwaukee’s first seven. Following Giannis’ first bucket in 38 days, the Bucks went up seven on the Celtics. Boston responded with a 10-0 run, with Hugo González converting two baskets inside, followed by threes from Sam Hauser and Derrick White. After Dieng’s second three of the quarter with 5:36 to go, Milwaukee’s offense went into a nearly three-minute dry spell; Boston took advantage, going up six before Bobby Portis finally got the Bucks back on the board. The Celtics scored the last three buckets of the opening frame, with Hauser capping it off with a mid-range buzzer-beater, putting the visitors ahead 30-20.

Boston kept the pedal to the metal to open the second quarter, going on an 8-0 run to put them up 18. Giannis returned and finally ended the run with a dunk, but that didn’t slow down the Celtics one bit, as they drilled four straight threes to take a 22-point lead with about six minutes left. The Bucks were able to chip into that lead slightly in the final three minutes, though, responding with a 10-3 run, with Giannis, Dieng, and Myles Turner all converting on much-needed buckets. Turner found the bottom of the net once again to close the half on a three-pointer, as the Bucks went into the locker room down 57-43.

Giannis stepped on the gas to open the third, scoring seven straight and cutting Boston’s lead to single digits in just over two minutes! González and Hauser responded, however, torturing the Bucks from three-point range; the pair combined for three triples as part of a 15-0 run for the visitors, growing their lead to 24. It was an unlikely hero that brought Milwaukee life, though, with Pete Nance—who had gotten two DNP-CDs and garbage time minutes in the last four games—helping spark a 9-3 run with a pair of corner threes. But of course, White and Payton Pritchard scored the final six points of the period, with the latter draining a high-arching mid-range shot in the dying seconds. The bucket put Boston ahead 83-65 after three.

The Celtics made sure there was no chance of a Bucks comeback early in the fourth quarter. Pritchard continued to make triples, converting two more as part of a 13-4 opening run, ballooning Boston’s lead to 27, before the Bucks called a timeout. Pritchard splashed home another, making it an even 30-point lead with 4:47 left as Doc called another timeout to empty his bench. Another tough L for the Bucks.

Stat That Stood Out​

Despite being relatively the same in size down low, the Bucks were dominated on the inside. The Celtics outscored them 34-22 in the paint and outrebounded them 63-47.

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/bucks-scor...e-dieng-hugo-gonzalez-sam-hauser-paint-points

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Bucks vs. Celtics Player Grades: Giannis’ return spoiled in third straight blowout loss

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 02: Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball against Sam Hauser #30 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum on March 02, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Even with Giannis returning and the Boston Celtics being without Jaylen Brown, the Milwaukee Bucks dropped their third straight game, losing in ugly fashion, 108-81. It’s the second straight game that the Celtics have held the Bucks to 81 or fewer points, after Milwaukee scored 79 on February 1 in Boston. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

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Player Grades​

Giannis Antetokounmpo​

25 minutes, 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 block, 7/18 FG, 2/5 FT, -8

Despite some rust, there were some vintage Giannis moments, displaying his usual aggressiveness in the paint. Maybe just leave the mid-range jumpers off the shot diet moving forward.

Grade: B-

Kevin Porter Jr.​

31 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 3/6 FG, -8

The Celtics did a great job of forcing KPJ into contested looks. After starting the game 3/4 from the field, with a layup and dunk in there, Boston made him take just two shots for the rest of the game.

Grade: C-

AJ Green​

18 minutes, 0 points, 4 rebounds, 0/3 3P, -4

The seven games since the All-Star break haven’t been very good for Green. He’s averaging a paltry 6.6 PPG (well below his season average of 10.3) and is shooting 31.8% from three-point territory. Tonight was another example of the opposition going out of its way to prevent Green from shooting, with Sam Hauser even swatting one away.

Grade: F

Ousmane Dieng​

30 minutes, 13 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 5/10 FG, 3/7 3P, -8

Dieng’s second start in a Bucks uniform was a bit of a shock, but there were things to like. He displayed an ability to play off of Giannis and convert from deep, while also not letting up on defence; that’s the 3-and-D archetype he has to fit into moving forward. That said, Dieng had a few ill-timed shots and didn’t break the paint all that often.

Grade: B-

Myles Turner​

18 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1/6 3P, -6

It was another rough outing for Turner. He couldn’t buy a three in the first quarter, and just looked overmatched when the Celtics went small. Many of the Bucks’ best runs came when he was off.

Grade: D-

Ryan Rollins​

24 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2/11 FG, 1/5 3P, -23

There might have been a reason why Doc chose Rollins as the one who got benched in favor of Dieng. He looked dreadful on both ends, and Doc was visibly upset with some of the shots he was taking. After averaging 20+ PPG in February, he’s off to a bad start in March.

Grade: F

Bobby Portis​

23 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 4/7 FG, 3/4 3P, -21

Bobby’s defensive issues reared their ugly head, and he couldn’t out-rebound some of the smaller Boston players. Portis continued to space the floor, but man, the other side of the ball was a train wreck.

Grade: C-

Cam Thomas​

11 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 0/3 FG, 2/2 FT, -18

The Bucks opted not to convert Pete Nance for this? Doc admitted that if Thomas is not scoring, he’s not really going to be out there—last night was proof of that.

Grade: F

Jericho Sims​

22 minutes, 3 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1/1 FG, 1/2 FT, -13

The only Buck besides Giannis who seemed to have a pulse on the glass. Sims looked solid on both ends of the floor and has really played well these last few weeks after a poor stretch before that.

Grade: C+

Pete Nance​

15 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2/2 3P, -4

Welcome back to the rotation, Pete! He was a good floor spacer and showed why he should be in the mix moving forward. The Bucks need all the shooting and length they can get.

Grade: B

Gary Harris​

13 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 2/4 3P, -15

With Kyle Kuzma inexplicably out of the rotation, Doc opened the door to Harris. That door should be shut moving forward. Before garbage time, Harris played 7:52 and was a -18. Need I say more?

Grade: F

Doc Rivers​

Doc had a rough night. I thought the idea to start Dieng was solid, but the rest of the rotations just made no sense (Kuzma’s DNP-CD being the best example of that). Doc also brought up the offense getting stagnant again. Listen, I know it’s up to the players to execute the plays, but the coach is responsible for creating them. Van talked about Doc’s glaring flaws in his article, and everything he wrote rang true last night.

Grade: D

Garbage Time: Andre Jackson Jr., Gary Trent Jr., Thanasis Antetokounmpo

DNP-CD: Kyle Kuzma

Inactive: Alex Antetokounmpo, Taurean Prince, Cormac Ryan

Bonus Bucks Bits​

• After his first game back, Giannis talked at length about how this rehab stint was different for him and how he had to approach mentally as well as physically. He also said he doesn’t feel like he’s playing at a deficit anymore:

“I have a lot of smart people around me who tell me the truth, tell me what to do. At the end of the day, I’ve been in this position in life by fighting through things, and I just listen to my gut, and I fight through adversity. Sometimes that’s smart, sometimes that’s not smart. Things I was able to do in the past, maybe I can’t do no more. I just got to be smarter, I’m not old, I’m older for sure. I’m not 24 years old no more. I’ve been dealing with a lot of soft tissue injuries, and if you’re not able to take care of them, they can linger, and I think that’s what happened this year. I feel like I’ve been playing the whole year at a deficit, but now this is the first time where I have a little bit in my tank, that I’m not risking anything, so I’m happy that I’m here.”

• Doc had mentioned pre-game that now that Giannis is back, they have to figure out what pieces to put out there when he’s not on the floor. It’s safe to say that wasn’t achieved; after Giannis subbed out with 6:13 left in the first quarter, the Bucks went from down two to down 17 by the time he checked back in. They did get better in the non-Giannis stretches throughout the rest of the game, but were starting so far behind the eight ball that it didn’t even matter.
• Once again, the Bucks lost the numbers battle. They were outshot by 21 (95-74), lost the turnover battle (16-10), and were out-rebounded 63-47. On the offensive glass alone, it was a 19-9 Celtics advantage.
• Bobby Portis was asked about why the Bucks have turned so sharply from a team that won eight out of 10 to a team that’s lost the last three games by a combined 79 points:

“We’re just playing better teams, kind of fool’s gold, for real. We won eight out of 10, playing against teams that are trying to lose. (Now we’re) playing for teams that are jockeying for position (in the playoffs). We used to be in that position too, jockeying for position, you got games on your schedule you can’t lose. Guys are circling us as the can’t lose team, so they’re coming in trying to win that game. Credit the other team for locking in and getting a dub.”

• Doc said the decision not to play Kuzma was a coach’s decision. Per Keith Smith, this is the first DNP-CD of Kuzma’s nine-year career.

Up Next​

The Bucks will get their first look at Jonathan Kuminga in his new threads, as the Atlanta Hawks make their way to Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night for an 8:30 p.m. Central tip-off. Catch the game on ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/bucks-anal...grades-stats-giannis-ousmane-dieng-kyle-kuzma

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Bucks Reacts Survey: Do you even want to make the play-in?

Mar 2, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) comes out of the game near the end of the second quarter and walks past Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers as they compete against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Bucks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Giannis returned to the Bucks’ lineup last night, but it wasn’t enough to take down the East’s current second seed. Monday’s defeat caps off a three-game losing streak that has them eight games under .500 with 22 games remaining, exactly where they were when Giannis’ most recent injury occurred on January 23rd. They’re 3.5 games back of Charlotte (with whom they hold a tiebreaker) for 10th and four games behind Atlanta (who the Bucks could gain the tiebreaker over with a victory tomorrow) for ninth. Orlando and Miami (season series with each is tied 1-1) are 5.5 games ahead.

Not impossible hills to climb, but ones that only get harder the further back they slip as the season gets closer to its conclusion. This all begs the question: do we, as fans, even want a play-in/playoff spot at this point? Unfortunately, losing/tanking doesn’t really help Milwaukee, as they’re pretty certain to finish no ”better” than 10th in the lotto standings, especially with a healthy Giannis. Chicago, Memphis, and Dallas are “ahead” of them because they leaned into tanking post-deadline while Giannis-less Milwaukee was surprisingly thriving. So… what are they playing for here?

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/bucks-polls/61686/milwaukee-survey-nba-playoffs-play-in