SI

Milwaukee Bucks Turn In Worst Defensive Possession You'll Ever See

The Bucks' defense against the Grizzlies was regrettable.

Kyle Koster

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles as Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) defends during the second half at FedExForum.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles as Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) defends during the second half at FedExForum. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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The Milwaukee Bucks have yet to show many positive signs through five games of the regular season. They dropped to 1-4 on the year after getting crushed by the Memphis Grizzlies, 122-99, on Thursday night in a contest that highlighted many of their deficiencies. More concerning, as rumors about Giannis Antetokounmpo's long-term plans swirl, are the questions about whether this team has the mental toughness to compete with the top teams in the East.

Obviously, five games constitutes a small sample size. On the other hand, check out this clip from Thursday's loss. It's as bad as it gets. Trailing 80-61 midway through the third quarter, the Bucks allowed the Grizzlies to evaporate a solid 16 seconds off the clock with no resistance, then promptly conceded a wide-open three-pointer to expand the deficit to 22 points.

It's bad basketball but it does raise an interesting question: just how long could an NBA team melt off the clock with one of those slow roll-ins if the opposing team was content to just let the time drip away passively? Maybe we'll find out.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points on Thursday but no other Buck scored more than 12. Damian Lillard went 1-for-12 from the field. Doc Rivers is now 18-22 at the helm for Milwaukee.

Perhaps this all gets fixed. If it doesn't, the above video will be as good a moment as any for when everyone realized it wouldn't.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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