It was finally time to see the new-look Milwaukee Bucks make their official debut against the Washington Wizards Wednesday night, but it was the Wizards who came out on top winning 128-116.
If the game was played through three quarters then, the Bucks would've started the season, 1-0, but the game is played through four quarters and that's where they lost the game.
There was some good such as newcomers Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr., but with no answer for Anthony Davis who finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds, and not being able to get a shot to fall down the stretch, it felt like Milwaukee let this one slip through it's hands.
Tyler Herro coming along
It didn’t take Tyler Herro long to prove that he was capable of stepping into a larger role for his new team. The former All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year averaged more than 20 points in the last five seasons and continued the trend in the first game of the season against the Wizards.
Herro got off to an hot start in the first half scoring 14 points in the first half while shooting 50% from the field. He would finish the game with 24 points and nine assists while shooting 9-for-21 (42.8%) from the field and 4-for-11 (36.4%) from the 3-point line, and did it by scoring at every level on the court.
He got downhill to get in the paint, created shots on the perimeter and was a playmaker by finding his teammates for scoring opportunities. We saw glimpses of this version of Herro in Miami and in the last few games during preseason, but we could see more of this in the future.
Jaime Jaquez looking to be the second option
A lot of people expected Herro to be the leading scorer or the first option for Milwaukee this season, but the real question was who was going to be the second option. Ryan Rollins was a potential candidate after coming off a career year; Kel’el Ware was another choice, but what about Jaime Jaquez Jr.
While Herro was able to get his and got more attention defensively, Jaquez stepped up and had a big game in his first game as a Buck. He finished the game with 22 points and seven rebounds while shooting 8-for-12 (66.6%) from the field.
Jaquez did most of his damage in the paint and got off to a hot start, scoring seven of the Bucks’ 13 points in the first quarter. The rest of the Milwaukee's starters combined for 25 points and he nearly outscored them himself. The Bucks could've used more help from the rest, but Jaquez left this game knowing he contributed at a high level.
A fourth quarter collapse
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Bucks looked to have played three good quarters of basketball. The Wizards were gaining some momentum heading into the final quarter, scoring 39 points in the third, but still led by three.
However, all of the hard defense and consistent offense went away in the fourth, and Washington took the game right out of Milwaukee’s hands. The Wizards outscored the Bucks 38 to 23 in the fourth quarter and, unfortunately for Milwaukee, the offense looked to dictate the defense.
The Bucks only shot 7-for-21 (33.3%) from the field and allowed 24 points in the paint, while Washington shot 15-for-21 (71.4%) from the field. The concerns that Milwaukee had looked to be somewhat corrected in the first three quarters, came right back in the end with the Wizards capitalizing down the stretch on the Bucks poor shooting and defense with easy baskets.
Add us as a preferred source on Google