The Milwaukee Bucks did not expect to start the season this way after two consecutive first-round playoff exits.
Since their opening win against Philadelphia, the Bucks have lost five games in a row and are now four games under .500 for the first time since March 2017.
Milwaukee has had such a tough start that they felt they made a small improvement Saturday, even though they lost 114-113 to the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a last-second jumper from Donovan Mitchell.
However, they also let go of an early 16-point lead and wasted an outstanding performance from Damian Lillard, who scored 41 points and hit 10 of 15 three-pointers.
“We don’t sustain the game,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “We haven’t been able to sustain 48 minutes.” Rivers mentioned the lapses that have hurt the team. Lillard pointed out that they often let a player from the opposing bench make a big impact.
This was evident on Saturday, as the Bucks lost their 16-point lead in part because of a strong showing from Sam Merrill, who scored 17 points.
“I think every team that’s hurt us, they’ve had somebody come in off the bench and have an impact on the game,” Lillard said. “They had a guy come in and knock down three 3s when it was bleeding and we had them down and our energy was right. He comes in and, ‘Bang, bang, bang.’”
Many of these issues arise when either Lillard or Giannis Antetokounmpo is off the court.
The Bucks rely heavily on the trio of Antetokounmpo, Lillard, and three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton. When any of these players are missing, the Bucks tend to struggle.
That was clear last season. Including their first-round playoff loss to Indiana, Milwaukee had Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Lillard available for only five out of their last 39 games. The Bucks had a record of 18-21 during those final 39 games.
This year, the situation is becoming more obvious as the Bucks wait for Middleton to return.
Middleton has not played yet this season as he is recovering from surgery on both of his ankles. Without Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Lillard are not getting enough support.
Antetokounmpo scored 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while shooting 17 of 22 at Memphis, but the Bucks still lost badly, 122-99, after hitting just 9 of 42 three-point shots and having trouble with transition defense.
Lillard scored 41 points and Antetokounmpo had 34 on Saturday, and Taurean Prince added 16 points while shooting 6 of 7. However, the rest of the Bucks combined for only 22 points and shot 9 of 31.
Rivers acknowledged the need for more contributions from the bench. “We’ve got to figure that out,” Rivers said. “That’s on us. We have not found the correct rotation yet.”
Antetokounmpo mentioned the urgency to improve as soon as possible, even though it is still early in the season. He also felt encouraged by how the Bucks played on Saturday.
After shooting a combined 17 of 73 on three-point attempts in losses to Boston and Memphis, the Bucks made 18 of 39 against the Cavaliers. Antetokounmpo pointed out that the team had better spacing and played at a quicker pace.
“That doesn’t mean we’re going to go to a five-game winning streak or a 10-game winning streak,” Antetokounmpo said. “But I know that we’re playing better. We trust one another better. The ball is moving. There’s a lot of good things that we can do. That’s all we can control.”
That positive attitude remains strong in the locker room even as the Bucks continue to struggle. “There’s no frustration,” Prince said. “The expectations are still here. We’re still optimistic. We’ve just got to figure some things out.”
