MIAMI – The Milwaukee Bucks opened up their four-game exhibition schedule on Oct. 6 at the Kaseya Center against the Miami Heat, winning 103-93. Giannis Antetokounmpo did not play for Milwaukee, as he only joined the team on Oct. 4 after recovering from COVID-19. Of the 20 players available to Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, all played.
Rivers said before the game that was the intent after a competitive first week of training camp.
Milwaukee played 10 players in the first half and took a 51-49 lead into halftime, with the starting backcourt of Gary Trent Jr. (11 points) and Kevin Porter Jr. (10) leading the team in scoring.
“It felt really good,” Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma told the Journal Sentinel. “I think for us coming out there, a dominant emphasis, getting out running, rebounding, going, getting deflections, playing the passing lanes, I think you saw in the first half I think we had a 17-point lead at first, then we let our foot off the gas a little bit but it’s preseason at the end of the day. I think it was good for us. We’ve been kind of beating a punching bag for the last couple weeks so to get out and have an opponent, it felt pretty good.”
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Center Myles Turner made his Bucks debut, scoring eight points and blocking two shots in just over 15 minutes of play.
“Felt good to go against some different competition,” Turner said. “I feel like we’ve been going at each other the past three weeks or so. For me personally, man, it’s just new beginnings.
“It felt great to be out there with a team of guys and a group of guys that have been so accommodating and welcoming and had me in here, have been receptive to my voice. It always feels good to get a win, so it was a great first crack at it.”
Guard Ryan Rollins also reached double figures with 10 points after he finished playing in the third quarter while forward Bobby Portis Jr. had four rebounds and two steals in 12 minutes of action.
Forward Pete Nance scored 15 points for Milwaukee in the second half, knocking down four 3-pointers. Guard Norman Powell led Miami with 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting in the first half.
The Bucks will host Detroit on Oct. 9 for their second preseason game and first at Fiserv Forum.
Here are three takeaways from the game against Miami:
Kyle Kuzma filled in for Giannis
In the offseason, Bucks general manager Jon Horst was clear in his belief that Kyle Kuzma could be more than just a capable performer for the team in 2025-26, particularly when superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is off the floor and pushing the ball in transition.
“Our team is elite when Kyle does it,” Horst told the Journal Sentinel about Kuzma pushing tempo in the open court following a defensive rebound.
With Antetokounmpo out for the preseason opener, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers was able to get a good look at that with Kuzma starting at the “four” alongside center Myles Turner. Rivers added pregame he wanted to get Kuzma time next to Bobby Portis Jr. as well as the power forward.
Kuzma acknowledged that when he plays with Antetokounmpo he must be more of a catch-and-shoot threat and off the ball floor spacer. But playing next to Turner and Portis allowed Kuzma to have the ball in hands and dictate the action against Miami.
“That’s just the emphasis, for me to come out and try to get to the paint as much as I can and either score it or make a play for somebody else and it felt good doing it tonight,” said Kuzma. “Being able to get out and get a couple guys some open looks.
“For us, last year we were one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league and we were like 29th in paint touches, so for us it’s all about trying to get into the paint and create threes for others and let our shooters, shoot. And just do what I do, and that’s be great at getting into the paint.”
He did that after collecting five defensive rebounds, scoring once off a driving layup and finding teammates for open threes. Though the Bucks didn’t make many of their 3-point attempts (5 of 19, 26.3%) – including a couple attempted off Kuzma’s paint pressure – the intent was clear.
“‘Kuz’ got to the paint,” Rivers said. “There was a couple times I thought he stopped short where he could’ve kept going. I think fatigue might have had a little bit to do with that, but he made just some really good plays.”
Kuzma finished the game with eight rebounds, two points on 1 of 6 shooting and one assist in 17 minutes. Rollins finally got Kuzma an assist by knocking down a second half 3-pointer, but the forward set up several teammates with open looks on several occasions in the first half.
“For us, his scoring is needed, but his facilitating scoring is even more important,” Rivers said.
AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr. start
The last time AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. saw the court together in the starting lineup, it was Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs in Indiana on April 29. Though the Bucks lost, Trent scored 33 points and was 4-for-8 from behind the 3-point line and Green scored 19 points on 6 of 10 shooting from distance.
The two high volume 3-point shooters proved they could log heavy, high leverage minutes and were great complements to Antetokounmpo as the “point forward.” Through the beginning of training camp, Rivers had played coy about who might start alongside Antetokounmpo, Turner and point guard Kevin Porter Jr., but it was to deny the Green-Trent combination could be very effective.
Rivers wouldn’t go so far as to anoint those two as regular-season opening starters, but beginning the preseason in that fashion was perhaps a strong hint.
That said, the Heat did display what could be an issue for such a back court going forward as Green was called for two fouls in the opening 3 ½ minutes. Trent was also called for a foul in the first three minutes. Green also was targeted either by scoring guard Norman Powell (who scored 18 points in the first half), or bigger Miami players Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo.
Offensively, Trent scored 11 points in 13 minutes, 21 seconds of first half action. He was 3-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Green scored nine points on 3 of 8 shooting (all 3-pointers) in over 17 minutes of play.
Bucks push the pace
It’s one thing to talk about changing a style of play through the offseason and at the start of camp, it’s another to put it into practice on the court with an opponent trying to slow things down.
On Oct. 6, the Bucks did take those practice efforts into play against Miami.
The Bucks had said they were going to put up more 3-pointers and play quickly, getting out and running off defensive rebounds and moving the ball with kick-ahead passes and to cutters in the half-court. And if those first looks weren’t there, to move to the next actions with authority.
“You don’t want to be standing still in the halfcourt,” Turner said. “I think as quick as you get the ball popping, as quick as you get the ball moving it puts so much pressure on the other side of the defense. You get to your second action, get to your third action it helps everybody on the floor.
“I think again, overall, I think it’s going to be a work in progress. We still gotta get big fella (Giannis Antetokounmpo) back out there and then it’s just going to all come together.”
In a 51-point first half, the Bucks were 5-for-19 from behind the 3-point line and had 10 assists on their 18 made shots. They created 13 points off seven turnovers and went 3-for-9 from behind the 3-point line in the opening 12 minutes in taking a 30-23 first quarter lead.
“We had a bunch of extra passes,” said Rivers. “We didn’t shoot the ball great, which it’s preseason, I’m not worried about it. But the ball moved and got guys great shots.”
Defensively, they wanted to also create pace by forcing indecision and turnovers and being more aggressive to force opponents into less desirous shots. In the opening 24 minutes, the Bucks forced 13 turnovers, scoring 17 points off those Miami miscues.
Eight of those turnovers were steals, with six different players picking off at least one possession.
Rivers highlighted the play of reserves Ryan Rollins, Taurean Prince, Bobby Portis Jr., Cole Anthony and Jericho Sims for their pressure.
“They changed the game with their pace and their turnovers and getting up the floor,” Rivers said of that group, laughing that he’s workshopping a nickname for the group. “That’s exactly what we’re looking for.”
As for the second half, when Rivers played the other 10 available players, those combinations of Bucks kept up the same play styles. That in and of itself also fulfilled an early prerequisite put forth by the head coach, as Rivers said he wanted all units of the team to play the same way regardless of who was on the court.
An example of that included Andre Jackson Jr. coming up with a steal and leading the break, kicking the ball ahead to Tyler Smith, who then slung a pass to an open Amir Coffey in the corner for a 3-pointer late in the third quarter.
Cole Anthony leaves game early after collision with Bobby Portis
New Bucks guard Cole Anthony went to the locker room in the first half after catching a stray elbow from teammate Bobby Portis Jr. while going for a defensive rebound. The Bucks said he had to receive stitches for a laceration.
Anthony has had a rough training camp, literally, as head coach Doc Rivers has said the guard has gotten knocked around enough to be held out of various sessions.
“He’s been getting beat up,” Rivers acknowledged. “I told him, when you play defense this stuff happens. So, he’s playing defense and he’s feeling it. It’s good for him.”
Anthony finished the game with two points, a steal and an assist in just under seven minutes of play.
Did you notice?
Gary Trent Jr. earned three free throws with 5:59 to go in the second quarter, drawing a foul on Heat guard Andrew Wiggins as the shot clock expired. Trent put up a tightly contested shot from the deep corner, and a replay showed Wiggins contacted Trent’s shooting arm. Such a foul was a point of emphasis for officials coming into the season.
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing?
No. There are no injury reports during training camp and the preseason, but Antetokounmpo just joined the Bucks on Oct. 4 after recovering from a COVID-19 diagnosis while in Greece.
After that practice, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo would need at least three days to ramp up to any sort of contact.
“We have a good plan, just a conditioning plan to make sure he’s in rhythm,” Rivers said before the game. “Get his lungs back. That’s probably was the biggest hit for him.”
Bucks starting lineup
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said he wanted to see Kyle Kuzma playing with Myles Turner and Bobby Portis Jr. together in the front court and said he plans on playing his starters in the first half only. Rivers added some of his veterans may only play five or six minutes.
What time do the Bucks tip off?
The Bucks and Heat are scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT.
What time is Brewers first pitch?
The Bucks game should be into the second half of play when the Brewers begin Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs at about 8:08 p.m. CT.
What channel are the Bucks on?
The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Bucks injury report
Not available.
Other than Antetokounmpo, Rivers has said every other player had participated in practices throughout the week. Guard Cole Anthony suffered some bumps and bruises and was held out of some sessions, but he told the Journal Sentinel after the Oct. 4 practice that he’s fine.
Tyler Herro out for the Heat
The Whitnall High School alumnus is coming off his first all-star season for the Heat, but unfortunately the 25-year-old shooting guard underwent surgery on his left foot just before the start of training camp.
Herro, the 2021-22 Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 23.9 points per game last season for Miami.
Bucks vs. Heat odds, over/under
The Miami Heat are 3-point favorites over the Bucks and the over/under is 219.5 points, per FandDuel Sportsbook.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks quicken the pace, beat Miami Heat, 103-93, in preseason opener without Giannis Antetokounmpo
Reporting by Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
