{"id":115189,"date":"2024-12-31T08:27:51","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T13:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=115189"},"modified":"2024-12-31T08:27:51","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T13:27:51","slug":"milwaukee-bucks-struggle-after-nba-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/31\/milwaukee-bucks-struggle-after-nba-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Milwaukee Bucks Struggle After Emirates NBA Cup Victory: What\u2019s Holding Them Back?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Milwaukee Bucks\u2019 Emirates NBA Cup<\/a> victory was expected to spark a dominant run. Instead, the team has struggled, dropping three of their next five games and slipping to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Their recent struggles highlight key areas of concern, from shooting inefficiencies to defensive lapses. Here\u2019s a closer look at the numbers behind Milwaukee\u2019s post-Cup stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Milwaukee Bucks Struggle After Emirates NBA Cup Victory: What\u2019s Holding Them Back?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Star Absences After Emirates NBA Cup Victory<\/span><\/h3>\n

In their five games<\/a> since the NBA Cup, the Bucks have posted a <\/span>2-3 record<\/span> while averaging <\/span>108.2 points per game<\/span>, which ranks in the bottom half of the league during this period. Without Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> and Damian Lillard<\/a> for much of this stretch<\/a>, Milwaukee\u2019s offensive and defensive ceilings have been limited.<\/span><\/p>\n

Giannis played only once during this span<\/a>, contributing a dominant <\/span>33 points and 14 rebounds<\/span>, while Lillard also appeared in just one game<\/a>, scoring <\/span>29 points<\/span> but shooting an inefficient <\/span>42.1% from the field<\/span>. Without their two stars, Milwaukee has relied heavily<\/a> on Khris Middleton<\/a> (<\/span>19 points per game on 53.6% shooting<\/span>) and Bobby Portis<\/a> (<\/span>18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds<\/span>), but the lack of continuity has disrupted the team\u2019s rhythm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shooting Struggles and Offensive Inconsistencies<\/span><\/h3>\n

Over the past five games<\/a>, the Bucks have shot <\/span>45.3% from the field<\/span> and <\/span>38.8% from three<\/span>, numbers that are respectable but insufficient to dominate. In particular, despite a quality percentage, their three-point shooting has been inconsistent, with standout performances like <\/span>20 made threes<\/span> against Washington<\/a> contrasted by <\/span>33.3% from three<\/span> in their most recent loss to Chicago<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Role players like Taurean Prince<\/a> have seen their early-season efficiency vanish. Prince, who shot an elite <\/span>54.2% from three<\/span> in October and November<\/a>, has dropped to just <\/span>31.6% from three<\/span> in December<\/a>. Meanwhile, AJ Green<\/a> has shot just <\/span>25% from beyond the arc<\/span> in the last five games<\/a>, further compounding the team\u2019s offensive issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gary Trent Jr.<\/a> has been a bright spot off the bench over the past five games, averaging <\/span>11.6 points<\/span> on <\/span>46.9% from the field<\/span> and <\/span>44% from three<\/span>, but the lack of consistent production from other contributors has placed significant pressure on the starters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turnovers and Defensive Issues<\/span><\/h3>\n

Turnovers have been a critical issue for the Bucks, averaging <\/span>15.4 per game<\/span> in this stretch<\/a>\u2014well above their season average<\/a> of <\/span>14.3 per game<\/span>. Their sloppiness was particularly costly in their loss to Brooklyn<\/a>, where they turned the ball over a season-high <\/span>22 times<\/span>, nullifying their <\/span>49.4% shooting<\/span> in that game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Context Within the League<\/span><\/h3>\n

Compared to other teams during this stretch<\/a>, the Bucks\u2019 <\/span>108.2 points per game<\/span> are well below surging teams like Cleveland (<\/span>127.2 PPG<\/span>) and Memphis (<\/span>129.2 PPG<\/span>). Similarly, their net rating<\/a> of <\/span>-1.2<\/span>\u00a0highlights their struggles to dominate on either end of the floor, ranking them 16th in the league during this period.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their shooting \u2014<\/span>45.3% from the field<\/span>\u2014 are middle-of-the-pack compared to league leaders like the Nuggets (<\/span>52.1% FG<\/span>) and Cavaliers (<\/span>50.6% FG<\/span>). <\/span><\/p>\n

Can Milwaukee Regain Momentum?<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Bucks\u2019 post-Cup stretch has been a reality check for a team with championship aspirations. While their Emirates NBA Cup victory showcased their potential, this recent slump underscores the challenges they face without their stars.\u00a0<\/span>With Dame back and Giannis expected to return soon<\/a>, Milwaukee has an opportunity to recalibrate. To do so, they\u2019ll need to tighten up their turnovers and find consistency from their role players like Taurean Prince.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For now, Milwaukee\u2019s Emirates NBA Cup victory stands as a reminder of the team\u2019s potential. The challenge ahead lies in translating that success into sustained dominance as the season progresses.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Milwaukee Bucks\u2019 Emirates NBA Cup victory was expected to spark a dominant run. Instead, the team has struggled, dropping three of their next five games and slipping to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Their recent struggles highlight key areas of concern, from shooting inefficiencies to defensive lapses. Here\u2019s a closer look at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5312,"featured_media":115203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,15,62],"tags":[49366,1255,187,306,324,1383],"class_list":["post-115189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-bucks","category-nba","tag-aj-green","tag-bobby-portis","tag-damian-lillard","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-khris-middleton","tag-taurean-prince"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5312"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115189"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115204,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115189\/revisions\/115204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}