Bucks Guard Takes Ownership For Costly Late Game Mistake vs Nets

The Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Nets, and one guard's costly mistake was a big reason for that.

Dec 26, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green (20) and Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) chase the loose ball during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the hottest teams coming into the NBA Cup. They went on a run and ended up winning the Cup. Since then, they haven't been quite the same team. That showed up in their 111-105 loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo missed this third straight game, so the Bucks were certainly short-handed. That shouldn't matter against a team that is currently outside of the play-in game. One of the Bucks players who they are relying on for the stretch run had a critical late-game mistake.

That player is AJ Green. He is someone who is a good 3-point shooter, something the Bucks don't have a lot of. He is also someone who can be suspect on the defensive side of the court. Green made a mistake towards the end of this game that proved to be critical.

Late in the game, Brooklyn was up 103-99, and they had an in-bounds play with just 3.4 seconds left on the shot clock. They ran a play for Green to get open for a three by using a screen. Instead of being open for the shot, he tried to then pass the ball back to Khris Middleton after taking a good second off the clock.

The pass was poor and Middleton didn't get a shot up. That resulted in a shot clock violation at a critical time of the game. Following the game, Green was asked about that play. He took full ownership of the play, knowing that it's something that can't happen.

That wasn't the only late-game mistake Green made, though. With the Bucks down three with under a minute left, Green switched on a screen set for Ben Simmons at the three-point line. That left Cam Johnson wide-open for a dagger three. Green owned that mistake, too.

"I should have just not switched it, probably,” Green said. “Because Simmons isn’t — like there was contact and you could switch, but Ben wasn’t really in a spot of where he had Bobby, so I should have stayed connected, stayed with Johnson. So gotta be better.”

Mistakes like these are part of the reason why the Bucks are looking to make a move at the trade deadline to improve the bench. The team can't afford mistakes like this if they want to win an NBA Championship.

More Bucks news: Blockbuster Trade Proposal Has Bucks Completely Shore Up Roster For Postseason