Milwaukee, WI
Bucks vs. Magic: A Dame Dolla short
The Milwaukee Bucks’ fourth-quarter comeback fell one shot short against the Orlando Magic, losing 111-109, after Damian Lillard’s game winning three hit the back iron. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dame combined for 63 points to lead the Bucks offense. Yet the combined effort of Paolo Banchero (29 points), Cole Anthony (22 points and nine assists), and Franz Wanger (18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists) was enough to push Orlando over the finish line. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
What Did We Learn?
If I’m the Milwaukee Bucks, I never want to see the Orlando Magic in a playoff series, this season or any other season. Despite being out their top guard in Jalen Suggs, the Magic continued to limit one of the Bucks’ biggest strengths on offense: the three-point shot. Of the seven games in which the Bucks have attempted their fewest three-pointers this season, four of those games (including the top three) have come against the Magic, with 23 on Saturday night.
“They just switch a lot and they’re big, the one game where we had 30 [three point attempts] was a blow out because we got good shots,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought they were so much more physical tonight, I thought the first game here early in the year I thought they were way more physical than us, they were more physical in three of the four games.”
Beyond their physicality, Giannis credits the Magic’s ability to be versatile enough to switch on the perimeter to limit the Bucks’ three-point shots.
“They switch everything and when you play against a team that switches everything it’s hard,” Giannis said. “You gotta have the mindest of driving and kicking it, but sometimes we have very talented players that take that individual challenge to take it themselves and sometimes the ball doesn’t move as much and it sticks. When you play against a team that switches you gotta keep it rolling hard.”
Thankfully the Bucks are done with the Magic for the rest of the regular season, and would only play them in the second round or the Eastern Conference Finals depending on where they finish in the play-in. I know that they won three out of the four games this season against Orlando, but a team like that can be dangerous when they can shoot the ball like they did in the first quarter last night. If they get a two-way scoring guard who can hit three’s at a high rate next to Suggs, the Magic are going to be a strong contender in the East.
Three Kevin Porter Jr. Plays
If they made statues for fleecing teams out of a good player for nothing, then GM Jon Horst should get one for acquiring Kevin Porter J. for nothing. After getting limited minutes with the Clippers, Porter has taken full advantage of the opportunity as the new backup point guard behind Dame. He’s scored 10+ points in four straight games, and he’s averaging 12.0 points per game over his last four contests compared to his 9.3 points per game overall this season. He was part of the closing lineup last night against Orlando and was part of the spark the comeback in the fourth quarter. Here are KPJ’s three best plays from Saturday night.
While they could never compare to the Khris-to-Giannis lobs, the KPJ-to-Giannis ones are pretty good.
I know I’m not the only one who will miss seeing Khris Middleton throw lobs to Giannis, but in his short time here, KPJ is racking up quite the collection of outstanding lob passes to a lot of players, but Giannis in particular. With the Bucks on the comeback trail, Porter runs a P&R with Giannis and since Goga Bitdaze is in for the Magic, they’re going to run some form of drop-coverage. With Tristan Da Silva not providing much help and no one else rotating over, Porter throws a beautiful lob pass to Giannis for the slam. This was part of a big run for the Bucks to get them within striking distance and make a full comeback attempt.
His ability to stop on a dime to hit mid-range shots on one foot is something I’ve never seen before.
I know there are plenty of guys in the league who can stop on a dime and make tough shots, but the way in which Porter does it is so unconventional to me. On this play, he drives in on Anthony Black, stops with one foot and drags the other to make an awkward looking shot, but hey, it went in.
Out of everyone, he got the Bucks going from beyond-the-arc last night.
It was polar opposites from three point range between the Bucks and Magic in the first quarter. Orlando came in as the worst three point shooting team in the league, but managed to shoot a scorching 8/13 from beyond the arc in the first, while Milwaukee shot 0/5. Then in the second quarter, only one player even attempted a three for the Bucks, and it was Porter, who went 2/2. He does have history as a good three-point shooter, but the reason I say that I’m a bit surprised is because since he left Houston, he’s barely attempted any threes and hasn’t necessarily been good at them. Yet it seems now like he’s building confidence in it again, especially by taking a transition three after a stop on defense. He’s becoming more and more valuable each game, and that may price him out for the Bucks next season. But for now, let’s enjoy his exploits on the court while we still can,
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Giannis finished the night just three points shy of joining the top 50 scorers in NBA history (20,047). He did pass Antwan Jamison (20,042) last night after his 37-point outing. He’ll have his chance to quickly move into the top 50 tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- Here was Dame’s take on the last possession against Orlando:
“Every time you look back at it you’re like ‘I could’ve did this, I should’ve done this,’ once I got it in space I made up my mind I was going for the win. I got space, I just lost my balance, I got deeper than I wanted to and I was just trying to get it and go downhill and get back behind the line, but when I got back behind the line I was kinda fighting against my body more than I would have liked to, I just got off balance and that was it.”
- Taurean Prince scored nine of his 13 points tonight in the fourth quarter, tying the second most he’s scored in a single quarter this season. His three triples in the final frame also tied his season-high in a single quarter and matched the second most he’s made in a quarter in his career.
- Dame has now scored 25+ points in 31 games this season, the 10th-most in the NBA, and he’s one of just 11 players to have at least 30 games with 25+ points.
Up Next
The Milwaukee Bucks will play their second back-to-back game tonight against the Eastern Conference’s number one team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. You can catch the game starting at 7:00 p.m. (Central) on ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, or our Playback and YouTube channels.
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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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