The Milwaukee Bucks had atough way to end 2025 on Wednesday night.
Milwaukee entered its game against the visiting Washington Wizards at Fiserv Forum hoping to bid 2025 goodbye with a victory and on a three-game winning streak. Instead, the Bucks got tripped up by CJ McCollum and company, as theWizards snagged a 114-113 victory.
McCollum drained a tough go-ahead jumper with a second left in the fourth quarter to give Washington the win.
The Bucks’ loss to the Wizards also wasted a brilliant individual effort by superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player led all players in the game in scoring and rebounding, as he came away with 33 points and 15 boards. Antetokounmpo shot 12/21 from the floor and went 9/14 from the foul line while adding three assists in 28 minutes of action.
Antetokounmpo gets consolation after loss to Wizards
After the contest, Antetokounmpo was announced as the Bucks’ Player of the Game.
Giannis with a 33 point, 15 rebound double-double. pic.twitter.com/AscDl2ffFg
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 1, 2026
Antetokounmpo very likely would trade such a minor consolation for a victory.
A big reason why Milwaukee lost despite Antetokounmpo’s huge double-double was the team’s poor ball security.
The Bucks committed 15 turnovers, which were converted into 23 points by Washington. Meanwhile, Milwaukee scored just four points off the Wizards’ 10 turnovers. Antetokounmpo coughed up the ball six times, which helps explain why he was a minus-4 despite his 33-15 performance.
So far in the 2025-26 NBA regular season, “The Greek Freak” is averaging 28.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, while shooting 63.9 percent from the field.
Milwaukee dropped to 14-20 and will look to turn things around quickly this coming Friday, when the Bucks host the Charlotte Hornets.
Dec 31, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee forward Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket in front of Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
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