The Milwaukee Bucks are still searching for consistent combinations, and Saturday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers provided another difficult example of the work ahead.

Milwaukee fell 136-111 at Fiserv Forum, dropping to 1-5 after Cleveland took control with a 48-point second quarter. The Cavaliers outscored the Bucks by 24 in that period, creating separation that Milwaukee could not erase.

Afterward, head coach Taylor Jenkins addressed the changing personnel around his young players and the difficulty of establishing continuity.

“Night to night they’re playing with different personnel groupings,” Jenkins said. “We haven’t found consistency when it comes to who they’re playing with.”

His assessment highlighted one part of Milwaukee’s early challenge: developing its rookies while determining which combinations can produce reliable results.

The Cavaliers’ second-quarter advantage accounted for nearly the entire final margin, turning one period into the defining stretch of the game.

Milwaukee scored 24 points in the quarter, but its defense could not keep Cleveland from building a commanding advantage. The Bucks were left needing both sustained offense and a substantial defensive improvement to recover.

Evan Mobley finished with 27 points, while Jarrett Allen added 25. Their efficiency made Cleveland particularly difficult to contain, with Mobley shooting 11 of 16 and Allen making 12 of 16 attempts.

Together, the Cavaliers’ starting big men produced 52 points on 23 made field goals. Milwaukee could not limit that production enough to keep the game within reach.

The defeat followed Wednesday’s 132-100 loss to the Houston Rockets, giving the Bucks consecutive home losses by at least 25 points. After earning their first victory against Indiana, Milwaukee has been unable to carry that result into a sustained stretch of competitive performances.

There were individual positives for the Bucks, particularly from rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament.

Both scored a career-high 14 points, providing useful offensive contributions despite the lopsided result. Their performances gave Milwaukee something to build upon as Jenkins continues evaluating his rotation.

The challenge is connecting those individual developments to better team possessions. Young players must learn their responsibilities while adjusting to the teammates around them, and changing combinations can make that process more demanding.

Jenkins’ comments reflected that ongoing evaluation. Establishing continuity could help Milwaukee’s rookies anticipate where their opportunities will come and understand how to contribute when the ball is elsewhere.

Kel’el Ware led the Bucks with 19 points and 10 rebounds, supplying another productive performance from a young member of the roster.

Still, those contributions could not offset Cleveland’s decisive run. Milwaukee needs its development to be accompanied by longer stretches of dependable defense, particularly when opponents begin building momentum.

The Bucks visit the Timberwolves on Monday with another opportunity to improve their execution and establish combinations they can trust beyond isolated stretches.