MIAMI – Milwaukee’s losing streak reached six games following a tough 106-103 loss to Miami at the Kaseya Center on Nov. 26. It is the fourth straight loss with star Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined with a strained left adductor muscle.
The Bucks fell to 8-11 while the Heat improved to 13-6 by winning its sixth straight.
As has often been the case during the losing streak, the Bucks could not string together enough stops and baskets to permanently flip the scoreboard and wrest the game’s momentum in their favor.
BOX SCORE: Heat 106, Bucks 103
The Bucks trailed by two after the first quarter and by six at halftime and took a brief third quarter lead at 71-68, but they couldn’t put together a sustained run due to ill-timed turnovers, fouls or an offensive rebound that slipped through the defense.
After Bobby Portis Jr. tied the game at 73 with just under two minutes to go in the third quarter, the Bucks were outscored 25-13 through the opening six minutes of the fourth quarter. In that period, they turned it over three times and went 5-for-14.
To their credit, the Bucks didn’t let go of the rope when they fell behind by a dozen and cut the deficit to 104-101 in the final 66 seconds thanks to a Gary Trent Jr. 3-pointer. But with two timeouts left, head coach Doc Rivers elected to let his team play it out and they could not tie the lead or take the lead.
They had another chance to tie the game with 42 seconds left when Ryan Rollins rebounded his own missed free throw and kicked it out to Trent, who missed an open three. Then with 5.7 seconds left Myles Turner missed a tough 3-pointer.
The Bucks were just 9 of 14 from the free throw line (64.3%) while the Heat went 18 of 20 (90%).
Turner played perhaps his most aggressive offensive game on the young season, using his size advantage to get position inside in scoring 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting. His previous season high in scoring was 23 points against Chicago on Nov. 7.
Rollins had his third straight rough night on the offensive end, as he’s been adjusting to increased attention from opponents since Antetokounmpo was sidelined. Though he led the team with 26 points, he was just 11 of 24 from the floor.
Over his last three games, the 23-year-old is just 24-for-49 from the field overall and 7-for-26 from behind the 3-point line. He also turned it over four times against Miami, giving him 11 in the last three games. In his first 16 games, Rollins shot 51% from the field and 44% from behind the arc and turned it over just 2.5 times per game.
Bucks lose for first time in NBA Cup pool play
The game on Nov. 26 was the first time in franchise history the Bucks lost an NBA Cup pool-play game, dropping them to 10-1 in three seasons.
To have a chance to advance to the quarterfinals for the third straight year the Bucks will have to beat New York at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28 while also building up a significant margin of victory.
That is why the Heat had to try and blow the Bucks out by as much as possible to keep its NBA Cup hopes alive. At 3-1, if they do not win the group they will have to advance as a wildcard – and the tiebreaker is point differential. Orlando, playing out of East Group B, has a plus-61 point differential for example. Should the Magic lose to Detroit on Nov. 28, the Heat could be going head-to-head with them to advance to the quarterfinals.
Bucks trying to manage spirit amidst losing streak
It was only two weeks ago when the prevailing thought in the Bucks locker room was that they were on the verge of breaking out of their win-every-other-game routine and set off on a winning streak.
Multiple players told the Journal Sentinel they felt “close” to putting enough complete games together to finally stack wins.
And then, Antetokounmpo strained his left adductor in the first half of an eventual loss to Cleveland on Nov. 17. It was the first time the team had lost two in a row, and after losing to Miami on Nov. 26 the team is mired in a six-game losing streak.
So how has the team managed to handle such an emotional swing, from thinking that perhaps the best was just on the horizon only for it to move further away?
“You gotta manage expectations, bro,” Turner told the Journal Sentinel in MIami. “That’s the league at this point. I think that there’s a lot of factors that go into winning. Winning is very hard in this league but all it takes is one, you know what I mean? All it takes is the win to break the schneid a little bit and then you continue to build from there. You can’t set your expectations so high and then have reality kind of hit you in the face. I think it’s just again, managing that expectation.”
Part of absorbing the punches they are taking is keeping a level spirit.
Portis has set a steady tone in his postgame comments during the losing streak, as has the emerging Rollins. The team has looked and sounded connected, despite their disappointment. And, not losing sight of the bigger picture or thinking that their feeling before the losing streak has totally disappeared.
“Injuries, things like that, you can never predict,” Bucks guard AJ Green told the Journal Sentinel in Miami. “I think we would’ve liked to have had, obviously the last few games, go differently. But that’s the ups and downs. That’s the adversity that life and the game just throws at you.
“We still are close. I know we’ve lost but we’ve got to see the good. We still are close, but we just haven’t done it.”
Bucks still trying to find silver lining in losing streak
Doc Rivers remained confident that when the Bucks break out of their current slump, there will be elements within it that the team can pull from and use to their benefit down the line.
But he’s also been brutally honest that he isn’t sure what that is yet.
In Miami, Rivers reinserted guard Trent into the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 12, moving the Bucks back to a three-guard starting group of Trent, Green and Rollins.
In the couple games before the contest against the Heat, Rivers started Portis and Jericho Sims at forward and played Andre Jackson Jr. rotational minutes, searching for a spark that can lead the team to victory.
“We haven’t had our full team all season, but the biggest thing is you realize that’s gonna happen you know?” Turner said. “Throughout the year you’ve got to learn how to play with the next man up mentality, learn how to play around each other because it’s not the last time someone’s going to be injured.”
Cole Anthony’s struggles continue
Oct. 24 feels like a lifetime ago, but that was probably the last time Bucks guard Cole Anthony played to the top of his capability. In that game in Toronto, just the second game of the season, he came off the bench to score 23 points and hand out seven assists while turning it over just one time in a Bucks victory. But after missing the next game with an illness, Anthony has been in a rut since Oct. 28.
While individual plus/minus numbers (the team’s point differential when a player is on the court) can be flawed depending on game circumstance, Anthony has recorded a negative differential six times and a net zero, once, since that Toronto game.
In his last 13 games heading into the Detroit game, Anthony is shooting just 36.6% overall, 28.1% from behind the 3-point line (and 62.5% from the free throw line) to average 7.4 points while turning it over 2.4 times against 5.2 assists.
“I’ve been driving myself crazy,” Anthony said following practice on Nov. 19. “I’m trying to get back in the gym – not get back, but you know, go a little extra hard in the gym. Worked out before practice, got a good one in after practice. Feel pretty good. I think this is a great opportunity with ‘GA’ out, I feel like I can get my rhythm. Obviously within the flow of the game, within the flow of the team, but I think it’s a great opportunity just to get myself going, get everyone else going.”
Shooting slumps happen, but head coach Doc Rivers and Anthony both acknowledged the point guard has not always taken the right shot at the right time according to the shot profile.
“There kind of been times where I kind of hesitate and then my opportunity for my shot will be gone and I think I’ve forced a few times,” Anthony acknowledged after that practice. “Just be patient, let the game come to me. I know where I can get my shots, I know the shots I like, and I’m going to get to those. I’m not really stressing about it.”
In his last two games (at Cleveland and Philadelphia) after that practice Anthony had been a bit more discerning with his shot selection, but he still had more turnovers (six) than shots made (four).
Against the bigger and physical Pistons, Rivers turned to Andre Jackson Jr. to provide some size on the defensive end and on the glass, so Anthony played just 14 minutes while the regulars were in the game. Though he was 2 of 4 for four points in his first 7 minutes, he also turned it over twice and finished with five turnovers.
He had a nice bounceback performance against Portland on Nov. 26 (16 points on 8 of 12 shooting) in just under 18 minutes, but against Miami he was 0-for-7 and turned it over two times in situations that set the Bucks back in the second half.
5 numbers
1: Career losses for head coach Doc Rivers in nine career games the in-season tournament.
2: Timeouts left when the game ended for Milwaukee.
1-5: Bucks record when Antetokounmpo does not play.
3-9: Miami’s 3-point shooting in the decisive fourth quarter after going 7 of 27 (25.9%) through the first three quarters.
5-7: Bucks record against teams with a .500 record or better on the day of the game.
Is Giannis playing?
No. He was ruled out at about 6:30 p.m. ET after beginning the day questionable to go vs. the Heat. Shortly before that announcement, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said wasn’t sure if Antetokounmpo would play. Rivers added that the Bucks star did not finish the entire shootaround workout earlier on Nov. 26.
“He’s close, which is good,” Rivers said.
Needless to say, the upgrade in status remains a step in the right direction for the Bucks’ superstar. Antetokounmpo strained his left adductor in a loss at Cleveland on Nov. 17 and has missed every one of the team’s losses since then.
Milwaukee Bucks injury report
Bucks starters
Tyler Herro has returned for Heat
Whitnall High School alumnus and all-star guard Tyler Herro is finally back for Miami after missing the first 17 games of the season following ankle surgery. Herro started his comeback hot, scoring 24 points on 12 of 18 shooting in just 29 minutes in a Heat win over Dallas on Nov. 24.
What is the NBA Cup?
The NBA Cup is an in-season tournament the league began during the 2023-24 season. It features all 30 teams broken up into six “groups” for pool play. The winners of each group and one wildcard from each conference (so eight total teams) advance to single elimination tournament play culminating in the championship game in Las Vegas.
“When they see the court, you can feel that it means something,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said.
“From a team perspective, it gives us a chance to look at big game situations.”
The Los Angeles Lakers (2023) and Bucks (2024) were the first two champions of the Cup while LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the first two most valuable players.
Each team has hung a championship banner in their respective arenas to commemorate the title.
What is the prize money for the NBA Cup?
What time is the Bucks game?
The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CT tip-off.
What channel is the Bucks game on?
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin. Dave Koehn, Wesley Matthews and Stephen Watson are on the call.
Bucks vs. Heat odds
Miami is a 7.5-point favorite over Milwaukee, with the over/under set at 237.5 points per BetMGM.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Heat outlast Bucks 106-103 in NBA Cup game without Giannis
Reporting by Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
