The Milwaukee Bucks squandered a 3-point lead in the final 30 seconds to lose to the Wizards, 114-113, in painfully poetic fashion at the buzzer. The loss dropped them to 14-20 on the year after they came in as 10.5-point favorites over a 7-24 opponent. It also denied the Bucks their first three-game win streak of the season.
Up 113-110 with 30.2 seconds left, and then 113-112 with under 10 ticks to go, Milwaukee allowed CJ McCollum to go coast to coast for a game-winning jumper with a second on the clock.
On the inbounds play at the other end of the floor, the Bucks drew up a decent look for Giannis Antetokounmpo, a 13-footer on the baseline, but the ball popped off back iron as the horn sounded. Giannis hopped up and turned heel in frustration as he made his way up the sideline.
For a Bucks team in search of momentum, relying on Giannis to shoulder a Herculean load, it was a disheartening end to the 2025 calendar year, as well as picturesque in its grim suggestion: even led by a top three player in the world, the current roster just isn’t good enough to reliably beat bad teams at home. Even the Greek Freak has his limits.
Bucks once again can’t crack code vs Wizards
Of course, it’s just one game and only Giannis’ third back since returning from a calf strain. Still on a pitch count, he played only 28 minutes. In that time, he went off for 33 points and 15 rebounds on 12-21 from the field. It’s difficult to imagine that, on a normal night where Giannis’ minutes are in the 30s – upper 30’s in a close one – Milwaukee doesn’t close this one out.
Dec 29, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in a time out during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
Still, they shouldn’t be in a back and forth game with a tanking Wizards squad led by Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington. Each 20-year-old matched his age in points to lead Washington to victory. Khris Middleton went 0-6 for 0 points. That’s the team that beat the Bucks for a second time in as many meetings.
Which is the bigger warning sign? That the Bucks could not finish the job or that they had to claw back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to take the upper hand late? Neither is encouraging. Milwaukee came into the game looking to build on the momentum of booking consecutive wins for the first time in two months. Instead, despite another dominant Giannis outing, they choked away a game they had in hand, that really should not have been so close in the first place.
Oct 22, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) collides with Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton (22) in the first half while driving to the basket in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
It’s just one game. It’s not the end of the world. But it’s nothing close to the New Year’s omen the Bucks were looking for.
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