Milwaukee, WI
Bucks vs. Clippers: No Naps, No Problem
After the Milwaukee Bucks slipped on banana peels in the first two games of their four-game California road trip, they turned things around and toppled the Los Angeles Clippers in a matinee special, 124-117.
Game Summary
As the Clippers play-by-play guy really wanted you to know, both teams came out with far more energy than you’d expect from a matinee tilt. While the Bucks defense continued its road trip struggles containing single players when they get cooking — in this case, Malik Beasley & Co. had a tough time preventing James Harden from generating space and feeding teammates — Damian Lillard’s three-point offense (4-4 in the frame) did enough heavy lifting to avoid an early hole to climb out of. When Harden sat, the Bucks transition defense lost the plot, saved by LA’s inability to hit any of the bevy of open threes given to them. Clippers up 33-29 after one.
Milwaukee would respond to their deficit by running the vaunted PatB-PatC-Bobby-Gallo-Giannis lineup that ironically struggled to wrangle rebounds in spite of the presence of three nominal bigs on the floor. Giannis did a fine job operating in space in attacking Ivica Zubac to anchor the lineup, paying off with a Pat Bev three to regain the lead at 40-39. Danilo Gallinari would nail his first three as a Buck shortly thereafter, and Milwaukee looked ready to rip the floodgates open on a slick Giannis pass to Beasley in the corner for another three, called off by Scott Foster for an imaginary traveling violation by Antetokounmpo. After that mishap, the Bucks kept their foot on the shotmaking gas benefitting from Dame-Bobby P&R looks — a late implosion off a Rivers technical and a Clips basket in transition left them the lead at the half, 62-59.
A quick foul on Ivica Zubac out of the half would get him time on the bench and made Milwaukee’s life in the paint easier on both ends. Malik Beasley had a strong pair of transition baskets to force a Clippers timeout and the insertion of one Miles Plumlee. Instead of signaling the resurgence of the Bucks paint defense, things just continued to be depressingly mediocre — loose balls bounced to the Clips off blocks, nobody rotated to Plumlee divebombing the basket from the three-point line, all sorts of crap. Plumlee actually hit Giannis with the hesi ball fake before hitting Norm Powell to cash in a three at one point. Bizarre. Thankfully, LA made it a point to have worse transition defense than Milwaukee, and the Bucks took advantage with plenty of cherry-picked baskets on their way to a 91-85 lead after three.
With Giannis sitting to start the fourth quarter, the Clippers powered their way back into the game with, again, paint dominance and Norm Powell going nuts. Tied up at 93 all with 10 minutes to go, it was Malik Beasley who bailed Milwaukee out by hitting an ATO three to regain the lead. Things still looked shaky for the defense until Antetokounmpo was subbed in and queued up a seven point mini-run between himself and Damian Lillard. A ref show then blew in out of nowhere to add a little extra disruption to a see-saw affair with Antetokounmpo often the victim. He kept firing, though, hitting a much-needed midrange jumper and defending his ass off to help cover for the length of the floor. Damian Lillard also came on strong late, hitting a tough three and getting sent to the line to take (and make) three free-throws late to push the lead out to 116-109. Another great sequence between Milwaukee’s stars late would seal it, and the Bucks would win 124-117.
What We Learned
Paint defense, anyone? Ivica Zubac is a physical handful to deal with, but it wasn’t just him slicing the Bucks paint defense up. The formula for opponents to blitz the Bucks remain unchanged from earlier in the season: Rely on a primary ball handler to generate significant operating space off a dribble move to lose Malik Beasley/Damian Lillard, then cut things to pieces with the easy dump pass, pick-and-roll looks, or dunker spot putbacks. Even when Milwaukee’s bigs were in nominally good position, they either lacked the energy, resolve, or processing speed to close gaps and contest.
A 34-16 difference in points in the paint in the first half for the Clippers was eventually shaved down to 48-42 for a bit there, only for LA to push it back out to 58-42 in their favor. Outside of brief moments here or there, this was the main concern of the night.
Three Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo – 34 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds
Just another masterful performance in a season full of them for Antetokounmpo. The defensive drop-off when he is off the floor could viably be the foundation upon which you build an MVP campaign around. When the Clippers took the lead late, Giannis was subbed in and turned things around instantly. Two good baskets, great interplay with Lillard on set offensive looks, and effort enough on the defensive end to cover for gaffes made by teammates whether on the perimeter or in the paint. A dynamo through and through.
Damian Lillard – 35 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds
His three-point shooting early made sure the Bucks could at least stay within striking distance of the Clippers, and the shot-making responsibility fell back on his shoulders late to push things over the line. I actually thought he showed occasionally good effort on defense to boot disrupting ball-handlers on the perimeter before they could really get a head of steam.
Malik Beasley – 17 points, 4 rebounds
Malik is here because nobody else really qualifies to be the legendary Third Buck. It was a good turnaround performance from three for Beasley (4-9 from distance) and a generically bad one defensively anytime he was asked to even look at James Harden. The broken plays that let the Clippers take as many shots inside as they liked early were, largely, due to Malik’s substandard footwork/anticipation. Making threes cures a lot of ills, though.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Danilo Gallinari logged his fifth bucket as a Buck and his first three in nine appearances. A sign of greater things to come? Almost assuredly not.
- Old friend PJ Tucker had the first quarter of his life, making baskets (including a three), getting blocks, and generally being a pest. He was then horrible almost the rest of his time on the floor. We thank him for his service.
- Really can’t emphasize how little I unexpected Miles Plumlee to ball out today. Absolute chaos ball with ball fakes and everything. Shoutout to that guy.
- Doc Rivers getting T’d up for something that wasn’t particularly clear to the viewers at home? Check.
- With about 20 seconds to go in the game and a 7 point lead, Pat Connaughton — who was completely unguarded and so didn’t need to rush — hoisted one of the worst three-point shots I’ve seen in a bit with five seconds still left on the shot clock. LA would corral the rebound and hit a three immediately to reduce Milwaukee’s lead to 4. While Giannis was busy shooting free throws to secure the win, Doc was giving Pat an earful. I’m pretty sure I lipread, “C’mon, man” as Doc’s parting shot. C’mon man, indeed.
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Wisconsinites share their thoughts on recent grocery prices
Wisconsinites share their thoughts on recent grocery prices and how it’s effecting their daily shopping habbits.
Adriana Maldonado is a yoga therapist in Wauwatosa with two children at home and three who are grown up that she tries to help with groceries. She has a one-word description for the economy.
“Awful.”
Maldonado said she’s had to pick up extra work to pay bills and other expenses.
“I also bartend at Gibraltar’s, and I also drive for Veyo, which picks up medical patients,” Maldonado said. “And whatever odds and ends I can do, I will do.”
Maldonado added she has cut back on some spending.
“I had to get rid of car insurance for a little while and then I just picked up a cheaper (policy),” Maldonado said. “I cut back on any eating out.”
Maldonado said her faith in the political system and in politicians is broken.
“This is just playing a game on humans,” Maldonado said of the political process.
Maldonado said she encourages people to shop at small local businesses.
“Stop shopping at large companies, come to more local places, put money back into our community,” Maldonado said. “It makes more sense. If we continue to shop the big (stores) we’re going to lose people. There’s so many businesses closing right now, it’s so sad.”
Maldonado is in the sweet spot for one of the most consequential discussions happening across the country: How is the country doing economically? Is daily life affordable? Are we facing sticker shock at the grocery store?
And the enduring political question: Are we better off today than the last time we voted?
President Donald Trump says the Golden Age is upon us, complaints about affordability are a hoax, and any concerns are the fault of the Biden administration combined with the Federal Reserve’s refusal to slash interest rates.
Countering that perspective:
- National consumer sentiment sits near all-time lows, according to the University of Michigan’s monthly survey. The latest survey released Dec. 5 found sentiment improved slightly from November but remained 28 percentage points below December 2024 levels. “Consumers see modest improvements from November on a few dimensions, but the overall tenor of views is broadly somber, as consumers continue to cite the burden of high prices,” University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu said.
- The U.S. job market is showing signs of slowing, adding just 64,000 jobs in November, according to the most recent employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, the highest in four years. Preliminary data for October 2025 released Dec. 16 showed a loss of 105,000 jobs that month, largely driven by layoffs of federal workers.
- The Urban Institute reported in October that Americans are struggling to afford essentials like food, childcare and housing. Nearly four in five Americans believe the U.S. economy will not improve in the year ahead.
- The U.S. job market has been stagnant in recent months, and paycheck growth has been falling steadily for more than three years.
- Consumers never adjusted to the supply chain chaos and dramatic rise in prices during the COVID pandemic. Many of those prices never came down. “The price level changed so much because we had such high inflation for a couple of years there and you’re continuing to add inflation to an already high price level … people haven’t had time to adjust to that,” said Dominic Ceci, chief investing officer for Johnson Financial Group. “In the last five years, we’ve had more inflation than we did in a long time. If you think about prices in 2020, pre-pandemic versus now, it’s a huge difference. It’s a whiplash effect.”
Marquette Poll indicates widespread pessimism
According to the most recent Marquette Law School Poll, 47% of those surveyed in early November said their groceries have “gone up a lot,” and 28% said groceries have “gone up a little.”
In the same poll, people were asked to predict if the cost of living would increase, decrease or stay the same in the next 12 months. Two-thirds said they expect the cost of living to go up.
Historically, the party in power performs poorly in midterm elections. That means Republicans and Trump are running short on time to change people’s minds, according to Marquette Law School Poll director Charles Franklin.
“He is now suffering from this widespread perception, and especially with swing voters, these policies aren’t helping inflation, they’re really exacerbating it,” Franklin said. “That’s tied to tariffs but also other things.”
The widespread frustration with the economy helped Democratic candidates in New York, Virginia, New Jersey and Miami win races in 2025.
“Politicians need to react to that,” Ceci said of voters’ feelings on the economy. “There’s some stuff they can do. There’s tax policy. There’s all kinds of things, but is it realistic that any of that gets done or gets done effectively? Probably not. You really need all of the people to come together to agree to pass bills and make things happen.”
People coming together is not exactly a hallmark of today’s politics.
Milwaukee resident Blanca Rivera, a former parent educator with Bay View Community Center, said food in particular has gotten more expensive. She has three children, and two of them have already moved out or contribute financially to her household.
Even with fewer people to feed, Rivera said she’s spending around $400 per week on food for her family.
“The same amount of money that we spend now for only us three, it’s the same amount of money I used to spend for four to six people before,” said Rivera, who sometimes also shops for other relatives.
To save money, Rivera has cut back on trips to see family members in El Salvador. She used to visit at least two or three times per year, but her budget now only allows for one.
“When you want to go over there, you don’t want to go empty handed. You wanted to bring something” for relatives, Rivera said. “I used to bring seven luggage bags – now I bring two.”
Rivera is also reducing personal care-related expenses to save more money for her family’s more basic needs.
“Before, I used to go and do my nails, my hair, maybe go to buy a nice perfume,” she said. “Now, I’ve got to wait three, four months to do my hair.”
The Journal Sentinel went shopping last year. And then went back.
President Trump said prices would start falling shortly after he took office in January 2025, and in recent months said his administration is bringing down some prices and slowing inflation.
But lower prices have not been seen in Milwaukee area grocery stores.
In August 2024, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel collected the price of a basket of groceries at five Milwaukee-area stores: Walmart, Pick ‘n Save, Target, Festival Foods and Woodman’s.
On Dec. 2, 2025, the Journal Sentinel returned to the same stores to compare how prices changed over the past 16 months. Totals were collected using the same list of common staple items across all five stores. Name brand items were purchased; some stores offer house brands that would significantly bring down prices.
The full grocery list was:
- Almond Milk: 64 ounces
- 100% whole wheat bread: 24-ounce loaf
- Bacon: one pound
- Bananas
- Beef: one pound, 80% lean, not certified Angus
- Butter: one pound
- Cheerios: 8.9-ounce box
- Cheez-its: 12.4-ounce box
- Eggs: one dozen
- Flour: five pounds
- Green beans (canned)
- Strawberry jelly/jam: 18 ounces
- Iceberg lettuce: one head
- Milk: one gallon
- Oranges
- Paper towel: two-roll package
- Peanut butter: 18 ounces
- Toilet paper: six pack
At Walmart, 401 E. Capitol Drive in Milwaukee, the cost was $63.84 in August 2024, and $69.31 on Dec. 2 2025, up around 8.6%. Walmart remains the cheapest of the five stores.
At Woodman’s, 8131 S. Howell Ave. in Oak Creek, the cost was $61.38 in 2024 and $69.80 on Dec. 2, an increase of 13.7%.
At Festival Foods, 11111 W. Greenfield Ave., in West Allis, the cost was $85.62 in 2024 and $94.58 on Dec. 2, an increase of 10.5%.
At Target, 2950 S. Chase Ave., in Milwaukee, the cost was $69.88 in 2024 and $70.21 on Dec. 2, an increase of 0.5%. However, this Target does not carry a name-brand bag of flour, the house brand was substituted, likely lowering the overall cost.
Finally, at Pick ‘n Save, 605 E. Lyon St. in Milwaukee, the price was $83.18 in 2024 and $81.53 on Dec. 2. That’s a decrease of 2%.
Substituting store-brand alternatives for name-brand grocery items does offer some savings for customers. For example, Pick ‘n Save’s store-brand grocery list cost $57.33 in December.
Some items fluctuated wildly in price since August 2024. A bird flu epidemic drove national egg prices to more than $6 per dozen in March 2025. Prices have dropped significantly since then, but the national average price of a dozen eggs in September 2025 remained above August 2024 levels.
The cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs at the five Milwaukee-area stores ranged from $1.97 to $2.49 on Dec. 2.
Is the affordability issue overblown?
Chris Dare was at the Milwaukee Public Market with his son Jake and noticed that meat prices were higher than at their butcher shop back home in Oshkosh.
Still, both wondered if the broad reaction to elevated prices wasn’t a bit exaggerated.
“I don’t think it’s as bad as people are making it sound,” Chris Dare said. “The disappointing thing for me was COVID was an open door for prices to go up, with somewhat legitimate reasons, but of course when those reasons went away, prices didn’t go back down, which we knew was going to happen.”
His son Jake believes candidates will “weaponize” prices in upcoming elections.
“The cost of living and the cost of buying things, the purchasing power of the wages you make is going to affect politics,” Jake Dare said. “After the elections come and go, I think it’ll flatten back out again and you’ll have two years of, probably, steady increases … it’s cyclical, any time the elections come around.”
Both father and son think about how prices impact them when they go to the polls, and they encourage other voters to research candidates and vote based on what impacts them personally.
“I don’t think anybody wants to admit it,” Chris Dare said, but “let’s be realistic, I’m voting 100% selfishly how things affect me.”
Chris and Jake consider themselves conservative, but question what Trump could do in the near-term to lower prices.
“And unfortunately I don’t think any president has that much immediate control over the economy,” Chris Dare said. “As much as you’d like to have somebody march in and suddenly things turn around. … it doesn’t happen that quickly on the economy side.”
Shoppers want specifics from candidates on solutions
Karen and Lee Veldboom live in the city of Waukesha and have learned to be more selective when at the grocery store.
“We don’t buy beef,” Karen Veldboom said, adding that her family has cut back on sweets and other treats as well. “Everything is so volatile right now, you kind of go with what it is.”
Both believe prices and the economy will play a role in how people vote in 2026. And both yearn for the days of more civility and less anger.
“We lean conservative but there’s so much craziness going on now, you don’t even know who to support,” Lee Veldboom said. “You can’t go two days in a row without hearing something totally outrageous.”
Heather Wiese from Pewaukee has taken up thrift shopping since doing it with her daughter in 2020.
It’s a good way for her to save money and support smaller businesses, she said.
But it’s a different feeling at the grocery store.
“Prices are high, holy moly,” Wiese said. “The price of beef is way up. The price of everything is way up.”
Wiese doesn’t expect the issue of affordability to go away anytime soon.
“People really can’t afford a lot of stuff right now,” Wiese said.
What she doesn’t want to hear is a lot of rhetoric without specifics.
“I would like more details,” Wiese said. “I don’t think on day one everything is going to go down.”
Despite promises, they certainly haven’t in the past.
The grocery bill is just one of many factors affecting households each month. Here’s the price of other common household expenses as of Dec. 16, 2025, compared to a year ago:
- Gas, Milwaukee- Waukesha metro average: $2.499
- Utility Bill, Typical We Energies customer: $135.94 per month
- 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate, U.S. average: 6.22%
- Rent, Milwaukee average: $1,250
MILWAUKEE – A winter weather advisory has been issued and expanded for Dodge, Washington, Ozaukee, Jefferson, and Waukesha Counties from 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28 to 12 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29.
A winter storm warning has been issued for Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties from 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28 to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29.
A combination of wet surfaces freezing over, accumulating snowfall, and strong winds reducing visibility warranted this. This strengthening system is creating winter across the upper Midwest and Northeast with winter weather advisories, winter storm watches, winter storm warnings, and blizzard warnings.
Snow is expected to accumulate between 2″–4″, with some areas north in Fond du Lac and Dodge Counties that could see 4″–6″. Areas not in the advisory zone, south of I-94 and near the lake, can still receive accumulating snow from 1″-3″.
Projected snow totals as of Dec. 28 at 12 p.m.
With temperatures above freezing for most of the day on Sunday, precipitation will begin as rain through the late afternoon. Rainfall amounts can range 0.25″-0.50.” As polar air moves in behind a cold front, this will transition into snow around 8 p.m. Sunday.
There may be an area of dry air that prevents widespread snow early Sunday night, but as moisture increases, heavier snow will fill into Monday morning. Snow should move out by the mid to late morning hours of Monday.
Overall impacts will be higher on Sunday night and on Monday due to freezing precipitation on surfaces, with the addition of accumulating snowfall. Strong winds arrive on Sunday evening, which complicate this even more.
Sustained northwesterly winds can blow 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 40 to 55 mph. Due to this, a wind advisory has been issued from 6 p.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday for all of southeast Wisconsin.
Winds this strong can cause isolated power outages, so it is important to keep your devices charged. This will also blow around any snow on Monday, reducing visibility for travel. Plan on slippery road conditions that can impact holiday travel late Sunday into the Monday morning commute.
As winds remain strong during the day on Monday, wind chills will be in the single digits.
This low pressure system has the potential of strengthening quickly from Sunday night into Monday morning. This is signified by a quick drop in central air pressure. If the air pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours, which is possible, this would be classified as a bomb cyclone.
Arctic high pressure will continue to pull in very cold temperatures wrapping up 2025 and entering 2026. High temps next week will be in the lower 20s with the teens on Thursday, which is New Year’s Day. However, winds will bring back wind chills in the single digits and negatives by the end of the week.
Your FOX6 Weather Experts will have you covered all week long!
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
What is the FOX Model?
What is the FOX Model?
FOX Weather Expert Tom Wachs explains the value of the FOX Model for our team — and our viewers.
FOX Weather
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: The Fox 6 Weather Experts; NWS – Sullivan
Milwaukee Bucks (13-19, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (11-20, 12th in the Eastern Conference)
Charlotte, North Carolina; Monday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Miles Bridges and the Charlotte Hornets host Ryan Rollins and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Hornets have gone 10-14 against Eastern Conference teams. Charlotte averages 14.9 turnovers per game and is 5-5 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents.
The Bucks are 11-13 in Eastern Conference play. Milwaukee ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference allowing just 116.0 points while holding opponents to 46.9% shooting.
The Hornets are shooting 45.5% from the field this season, 1.4 percentage points lower than the 46.9% the Bucks allow to opponents. The Bucks are shooting 48.5% from the field, 0.1% lower than the 48.6% the Hornets’ opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Bucks won the last matchup 147-134 in overtime on Nov. 15, with Kyle Kuzma scoring 29 points in the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bridges is averaging 20.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists for the Hornets. LaMelo Ball is averaging 22.0 points over the last 10 games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is scoring 28.9 points per game and averaging 10.0 rebounds for the Bucks. Rollins is averaging 5.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 5-5, averaging 116.3 points, 45.1 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 7.8 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.1 points per game.
Bucks: 4-6, averaging 105.6 points, 42.2 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 8.3 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.3 points.
INJURIES: Hornets: Mason Plumlee: day to day (groin), Grant Williams: out (acl), Ryan Kalkbrenner: day to day (elbow).
Bucks: Taurean Prince: out (neck), Gary Trent Jr.: day to day (calf).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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