The recent performance of the Milwaukee Bucks is very alarming.
In a match within the framework of the 2023-2024 season of the American Professional Basketball League (NBA) taking place this morning (January 9) Vietnam time, the Milwaukee Bucks unexpectedly received a 116-132 defeat against the Utah Jazz .
The Milwaukee Bucks continued to play extremely poorly, similar to the most recent match with the Houston Rockets when the defense of the “Deer Herd” let Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton or John Collins continuously score points. The first half ended with a 23-41 defeat of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates.
Things didn’t get any better for the Bucks in the second half, when on a day without both the main and reserve ball defenders: Damian Lillard and Cameron Payne, the Milwaukee Bucks had complete difficulty deploying their offensive pieces. .
Besides “Demigod” Giannis, other pitchers like Khris Middleton or Bobby Portis were not effective.
On the other side of the front line, defender Kris Dunn is in very high form with impressive ball coordination ability, reminiscent of the image of Ricky Rubio in the Jazz shirt. The 29-year-old’s passes created delicious opportunities for his teammates, helping the Utah Jazz lead the Milwaukee Bucks to 31 points before halftime.
Just like the match with Rockets 2 days ago, the third round witnessed an extremely strong effort by the “Deer Herd”. The trio of Antetokounmpo – Beasley – Middleton continuously got valuable points, shortening the gap between the two sides to only 10 points.
Middleton continued his impressive form in the fourth half, but the brilliance of Kris Dunn, Jordan Clarkson or Lauri Markkanen completely extinguished the opponent’s ambition for a comeback. Jazz won 32-26 in the final half, sealing a resounding victory over this bright candidate for the NBA championship.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton led the scoring list for the Milwaukee Bucks as well as the match with 25 and 23 points, respectively. On the other side of the front line, Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson had the same 21 points, while three other Jazz players including Collin Sexton, John Collins and Keyonte George scored 19 points.
This was the 4th loss in the last 5 matches of the Milwaukee Bucks, including 2 consecutive defeats against the Indiana Pacers. The only victory of coach Adrian Griffin’s team in these 5 matches was against a San Antonio Spurs with a very clear intention of “tanking”.
In the next match, the Milwaukee Bucks will have a highlight match with the Boston Celtics on January 12, while the Utah Jazz play one day earlier, welcoming the defending NBA champions – Denver Nuggets at home.
