Yikes! The Milwaukee Bucks have lost five straight games. When the Bucks signed their star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to a whopping five-year deal worth $228 million on December 15, a five-game losing streak for the Bucks at any point was not supposed to happen. But, here we are. In the last five games, the Bucks have lost 125-124 to the Phoenix Suns, 129-115 to the Utah Jazz, 114-109 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 124-113 to the Toronto Raptors, and 110-96 to the Raptors. Why are the Bucks losing? Here are five reasons why.
5) Not enough offense from the guards. In the five losses, Bryn Forbes and Donte DiVincenzo were drastically outplayed in four of the games. In the loss to the Jazz, they only scored a combined total of 10 points, while Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles combined to score 53 points.
4) Giannis was a minus player. Anteotokounmpo did score 157 points in the five games (an average of 31.4 points per game), but was still a -24. He also had 20 turnovers and 16 missed free throws.
3) Lack of rebounding from Brook Lopez. At the center position, the Bucks need Brook Lopez to do more than just score. They need him to get rebounds. In the last five games, Lopez did not record a double-double, something that elite centers accomplish on a regular basis in the NBA today.
2) Overall poor defense. In the last five games, the Bucks have averaged 120.4 points against. That is not what you expect from a championship-caliber team. In Thursday’s loss, the Raptors turned 15 Milwaukee turnovers into 24 points. The Raptors also made 29 three-pointers over the last two games.
1) Lack speed. In the two losses to the Raptors, Milwaukee simply looked slow. They also did not match the Raptors energy throughout the last 96 minutes, and could not stop a Raptors squad that started a small lineup.
There is still time for the Bucks to turn things around. In the tightly-contested Eastern Conference, they are still 16-13 and three games back of the conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers.
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