The irony is hard to miss: while Milwaukee is off to a competitive start, Miami has opened 0-4 after the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster sent one of the league’s biggest stars to the Heat and reset the Bucks’ future.
That trade was supposed to answer the long-running question about what comes next for both sides. Antetokounmpo moved on because he believed he could chase a championship in a better spot, while Milwaukee began a rebuild it hopes can be accelerated. Four games in, the early returns have landed in a way few would have expected.
The Bucks have already picked up a 110-102 win over the Indiana Pacers, a team led by Tyrese Haliburton, while Miami let a 90-84 fourth-quarter lead slip away in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Tuesday also delivered a strong individual night for Milwaukee pieces on the floor. Tyler Herro paced all scorers for the Bucks with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, plus a steal and a block, while knocking down 3 three-pointers in 32 minutes. Kel'el Ware added a big night off the bench, putting up 16 points and 14 rebounds with a steal on 7-for-13 shooting in 19 minutes.
For Miami, Giannis had a breakthrough showing with 29 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and a block, and he made 2 three-pointers. But Bam Adebayo had a quieter outing beside him. He finished with eight points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 30 minutes, while shooting 3 of 10 overall and missing all five of his three-point attempts.
Adebayo has gotten off to a slow start, averaging 11.8 points per game and shooting 16.7% from three over his last four games.
Miami will try to stop the skid on Wednesday in Atlanta against the Hawks.
In Other News...
Bucks Blowout Exposes An Early Problem Fans Will Recognize
A home loss like this is the kind that can feel bigger than the final score, because it laid bare an issue Bucks fans have seen before. Milwaukee was overwhelmed by Houston in a 132-100 defeat, and the offense never really found a rhythm after a rough first half, when the shots stopped falling and the possessions started to look familiar in all the wrong ways.
Tyler Herro led the Bucks with 23 points, but the support behind him was thin, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. among the few others able to chip in. Houston stayed unbeaten behind 24 points apiece from Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson, and for Milwaukee the concern is less about one bad night than the way the scoring dried up when the game started slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Hand Brewers Fans A Perfect Cross-Sports Roast Moment
While Brewers fans were still soaking in the citys first World Series title, the Bucks were quick to lean into the moment from their own corner of Milwaukee sports. The congratulatory nod on social media came after a rough night on the hardwood, with the Bucks falling 132-100 to the Rockets and slipping to 1-4 as the rebuilding phase continues to take shape.
The timing made the crossover feel especially sharp, because one team was celebrating a long-awaited championship while the other was trying to steady itself early in the season. Milwaukee now turns to the Cavaliers next, and even in a tough stretch, the Bucks at least showed they understand the citys mood well enough to play along. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Suddenly Have A Gary Trent Jr. Rotation Problem
Gary Trent Jr. figured to have a more defined role after landing a $64 million contract extension, but the early part of the season has told a different story. Through the Bucks first five games, he has played under seven minutes total, a startlingly small workload for a player the team clearly values enough to keep around long term.
Coach Taylor Jenkins has leaned on other guards instead, with Tyler Herro, Ryan Rollins, Kasparas Jakucionis and Brayden Burries getting the priority minutes. For now, Trent is stuck at the end of the rotation, picking up depth and mop-up duty, though that picture could change if the Bucks decide to move AJ Green and open up a little more room in the backcourt. [Read more 🡒]