The Milwaukee Bucks suffered another rough loss — here is why it happened.
The Milwaukee Bucks suffered their second loss in a row, this time to the Phoenix Suns, 129-114 on Tuesday night. Below are my takeaways:
Another Blowout Loss
It is not just that the Bucks have been losing; it is how they are losing.
Milwaukee has fallen in 11 games since Jan. 27, and in each of those contests it has been by double digits. Five of those games have been lost by 25-plus points, and the closest margin of defeat the Bucks have suffered in that span has been by 10 points in a 109-99 loss to the Washington Wizards on Jan. 29.
At this point, it is an incredibly concerning trend, especially now that Giannis Antetokounmpo has returned to the floor.
Falling Apart Late
Despite losing by 15 points, Milwaukee won in several facets of the game.
The Bucks had the advantage in multiple statistical categories, including paint points (38-34) and second chance points (9-6). They also tied the Suns with 39 rebounds. Additionally, Milwaukee shot well — going 51.2% from the field and 42.1% from 3-point range.
The game featured 16 ties and 12 lead changes, but the fourth quarter is where it got away from the Bucks. After only trailing by six points to start the final period, Milwaukee let the deficit balloon to double digits.
The Bucks were able to cut Phoenix's lead to seven points with 6:50 left in regulation, but that is the closest they would get the rest of the way. By the end of the final 12 minutes, they had been outscored 29-17.
Kyle Kuzma Shows up
Despite the loss, it was a nice night for Kyle Kuzma as he reached 10,000 career points.
Kuzma scored a season-high 33 points that also doubled as a game-high effort on 12-21 shooting from the field and 6-10 from beyond the arc. He also notched two steals and a block, but it would not be enough in the end.
The Suns’ Trio
Beyond Kuzma, the Bucks got solid contributions across the board offensively. Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner each added 22 points, Ryan Rollins had 14 and Ousmane Dieng scored 12 — the Suns just did more.
Devin Booker, Royce O’Neal and Jalen Green led the charge for Phoenix, and Milwaukee’s defense could not keep up. Booker notched 27 points; O’Neal scored 21 after hitting seven of his 11 3-point attempts and Green had 25. The Bucks had contributors, but it is hard to win when three opposing players combine for 73 points.
Milwaukee will now embark on a two-game road trip to face the Miami Heat on Thursday before taking on the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Now sitting at 27-37 and 11th place in the Eastern Conference, time is running out on the Bucks’ postseason hopes.