The Milwaukee Bucks had chances to make this one interesting, but the same problems kept showing up in a 107-99 loss to the Orlando Magic in their second NBA Cup game. Orlando picked up its first home win of the season, while Milwaukee once again came up short of 100 points.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. was the bright spot on the box score with 22 points, but the rest of the offense never really found a rhythm. The Bucks did manage to hang around and even trim the margin to eight in the fourth quarter, yet they couldn’t turn that push into anything lasting.
Myles Turner looked like a different player after sitting out the Lakers game for rest. Taylor Jenkins said the decision was meant to give him “a mental and physical break” on the second night of a back-to-back, and Turner responded with his best stretch in a while. After totaling just six points over his previous three games on 2-for-22 shooting from the field and 1-for-13 from deep, he came out firing against Orlando.
Turner had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half alone, knocking down 4 of 5 from 3-point range. He finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 5-for-9 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. For a player who had been mired in a slump, it was a much-needed reset and a much cleaner night.
Tyler Herro, on the other hand, never got comfortable. He opened the game with eight points in the first half while shooting 2-for-10, and even though he’s usually capable of shaking off a slow start, this wasn’t one of those nights. Herro ended with 18 points on 5-for-17 shooting and 2-for-7 from 3-point range.
Orlando’s physical defense clearly bothered him, especially on the perimeter. The Magic took away clean looks from deep and crowded him when he tried to attack, forcing him into traffic. Milwaukee stayed in the fight, but a stronger scoring night from Herro would have made a real difference.
Brayden Burries also ran into a rough one. The rookie has earned his spot in the starting lineup and has made the most of his chances, but this game didn’t go his way. After struggling against the Lakers, he was looking for a bounce-back against Orlando and instead finished with three points on 1-for-4 shooting, his lowest minutes as a starter this season.
The Bucks’ biggest self-inflicted wound came at the line. Milwaukee shot 18-for-31 from the free-throw stripe, leaving 13 points out there in a game that stayed within reach. In a single-digit game, that kind of waste is hard to survive.
In Other News...
Tyler Herro Adds More Drama To A Bucks Night Going Sideways
A rough night for Milwaukee on the scoreboard got a little noisier in the stands when Tyler Herro got into a verbal exchange with a heckling fan during the Bucks game against Orlando. The Bucks spent most of the night chasing the Magic, and Herros own line through three quarters reflected the frustration around the building, with 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
Herro has already been part of his share of off-court drama, including a previous altercation with former teammate Bam Adebayo, so the back-and-forth only added to the sense that this was a game going sideways in more ways than one. It also came against the backdrop of Milwaukees broader struggles since the major trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, a stretch that has left the Bucks searching for steadier footing on and off the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Trade Search Is Heating Up At A Crucial Time
With the February 11 trade deadline drawing closer, the market is already starting to take shape, and one of the more interesting developments involves the Brooklyn Nets. According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Brooklyn is expected to explore moving some of its veteran players, with Michael Porter Jr. among the names mentioned as the team weighs its options.
For Milwaukee, any shift in the Easts trade landscape is worth watching, especially if a player of that caliber becomes available. Fischers report also notes that other teams are beginning to sort through their own trade considerations, but for now the bigger story is that the deadline conversation is heating up at a time when front offices are still trying to separate real opportunities from league-wide noise. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Early Returns Are Already Splitting Hope From Concern
The Bucks post-Giannis reset has gotten off to a rough start, with the team sitting at 1-12 and mired in a nine-game losing streak after the blockbuster trade sent Antetokounmpo to Miami. Milwaukee brought back Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kelel Ware in the deal, and the early months of the new era have quickly become a referendum on how much of the future is already taking shape.
There are at least a few reasons for patience, starting with Jaquez and rookie Brayden Burries, who have both flashed enough to suggest real upside. But the broader picture is still unsettled, because Ware and Herro have not yet delivered the kind of steady production Milwaukee needs if this group is going to turn the page from painful transition to something more sustainable. [Read more 🡒]