Bucks Zone

The 3 biggest takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' first loss of the season

The inevitable happened, as the Atlanta Hawks ended Milwaukee's perfect start to the season.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks' perfect start to the season came to a crashing end as they fell 117-98 to the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks started their three-game road trip with a defeat, and they were simply outmatched by the Hawks. Trae Young missed the game with an injury, but the Hawks still took care of business without him.

The Bucks falter in the second half

The Bucks had the lead at the end of the second quarter, but they just didn't have the energy to keep it up in the second half. They were playing their 3rd game in 4 nights, and the Bucks just could not keep up with the Hawks' fast pace.

Atlanta looked fresh, and they forced the Bucks into mistakes. They also stopped the Bucks from getting easy three-point shots, limiting them to 11% (2-17) in the second half. With Trae Young out, his backcourt mate Dejounte Murray stepped up with an all-around stat line of 25 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds.

Giannis returns

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup after missing the game against the Thunder due to knee soreness. He had a rough start to the game as he picked up two quick fouls and had to sit for the majority of the first quarter.

The rest didn't do Giannis any good, as he struggled with his jump shots, leaving several of them short. He did manage to finish with 25 points on 9-20 shooting from the field, but with only 7 rebounds and 2 assists to round it out. Still, it was a quiet stat line for his usual MVP standard.

Jrue twists his ankle

Late in the fourth quarter, as the game was getting away, the Bucks had a major scare as Jrue Holiday twisted his ankle. He returned to the game, but the Bucks' head coach Mike Budenholzer said they would know more on Tuesday.

Holiday had a solid game with 16 points and 7 assists, continuing his good play on the season, as the Bucks will hope that his injury is not too serious. After all, with Khris Middleton still out, the Bucks and the Giannis will need Holiday to stay on the court and contribute.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.