MILWAUKEE, WI - NOVEMBER 15: Ryan Rollins #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 15, 2025 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images).
MILWAUKEE, WI - NOVEMBER 15: Ryan Rollins #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 15, 2025 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images).
NBAE via Getty Images
Still nothing at home. The Brooklyn Nets are still the only team to not win a home game yet this season after they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers last night.
The opponent tonight is battling through some things, but they remain a threat to capture the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks are under .500 at 8-12, but that can be explained due to injuries. They’re closer to full strength, but lost to the New York Knicks at MSG last night, their seventh straight. One more and they tie a franchise record. Will Giannis Antetokounmpo play?
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Gotham Sports on streaming. Tip after 8:00 p.m. ET.
No Cam Thomas or Haywood Highsmith. As far as when Cam will be back, check back in week four. Night two of a back-to-back, so we’ll see if anyone else is out. Nolan Traore remains with Long Island who play tonight as well vs. the Raptors 905.
No Kevin Porter Jr or Taurean Prince. And similar to the Nets, this is night two of a back-to-back so we’ll keep an eye out to see if there are any late additions to the injury report. Giannis said after the Bucks loss to the Knicks that he “knows what the protocol is,” coming off a groin injury, but he added, “I know one thing for sure: Tomorrow, I will play more minutes, and I’m going to try to help the team win.”
As long as the Bucks have one of the five best players in the NBA, they’ll always have a chance. Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to play at a Hall of Fame level and is the key to their season. As he’s just getting back to action, he won’t have a heavy workload on his shoulders. Even at less than strength, he’s still good for 30/15/8 a game while being hell on wheels going to the basket. Assuming he plays tonight, I’m almost certain his minutes will be around the upper 20s. Night two of a traveling back-to-back and a game with lower stakes than the Cup should equal to a lighter workload tonight. However, if the game is within reach and Giannis feels fine, I’d let him rock out a bit longer.
Indeed, the Bucks are in a shocking, near historic slump, their loss to the Knicks their seventh straight defeat. Giannis is not been pleased with the team’s “competitive spirit.”
“Nobody should have a personal agenda. Nobody should worry about what they want from themselves,” said Antetokounmpo, who sat the previous four games with a groin strain. “Worry only about winning mentality. Winning mindset. The more we can win the games, the more everything takes care of itself.”
If the Nets beat the Bucks? It would tie the franchise’s longest losing streak … ever. Would that spur another round of trade rumors? “I want to win,” he said post-game. “I don’t remember the last time I lost seven in a row.”
All that said, if the league isn’t gonna call flagrant fouls when the big guy gets hacked and yanked, Giannis’ teammates are ready to pick up and handle things
Good teamwork there.
Where will the scoring come from with Thomas and likely Porter out? Off the bench, that will come from Tyrese Martin. He scored 16 points off the bench last night, and he’s really found his game after a slow start. He recently spoke about that, saying:
“I know I didn’t start the first 10 games how I wanted to and to help this team, and mentally I was messed up, but then I kind of got out of that like five games ago and let myself play free mentally and not think about how I’ve been playing, just how I’m going to play going forward and it’s been working for me.”
If he can keep this pace up, he’ll carve out a nice role for himself in this league.
Gotta admit, seeing Myles Turner outside of Pacers colors is a bit of a mind trip. I’m gonna have to accept that as he’ll be on the Bucks for the foreseeable future. Turner hasn’t had the best start to the season, but he’s always a threat to make defenses pay from deep. Nic Claxton will have the dual tasks of chasing Turner off of the three point line while also providing enough rim protection to make things hard in the paint. The Bucks are eighth in the NBA in field goal percentage inside the restricted area while the Nets are sixth worst in opponent’s field goal percentage in the restricted area. Seems like a bad mix, especially on a back-to-back.
Player to watch: Ryan Rollins
It’s always fun to watch a young player start putting things together. Rollins has been terrific in his role and has been able to take on more responsibility. He’s got career highs across the board and is someone Doc Rivers trusts late. At just 23 years old, he’s a key part of their future and someone that can hopefully continue to get better.
He’s also someone that’s looking to be a positive in the community, and spent the holidays giving back
Salute to that young brother.
Egor Dëmin scored a career high 23 points last night, but he couldn’t fully enjoy it as the game wasn’t all that competitive. Either way, he’ll try to put a good b2b outing together tonight. Without Porter Jr and Thomas, scoring becomes even harder for this Brooklyn group. Will he have to take 18 shots again tonight? Probably, but that’s what the situation calls for right now. The experience for him is what’s going to help down the line if/when the Nets return to competitive play. Treat every day like a lesson and when the real basketball returns, you can apply everything you’ve learned.
From the Vault
It’s Survivor Series Saturday!
Also, Monday is World AIDS Day. Ones in the air for everyone we’ve lost