Milwaukee, WI

Bucks vs. Nets: Bucks bench begets big boost

Published

1 year ago

December 9, 2024

Bucks vs. Nets: Bucks bench begets big boost

It won’t go down as the prettiest outing on the part of the Milwaukee Bucks, but they were able to wring just enough out of the entire rotation to topple the Brooklyn Nets on the road, 118-113. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 34 points (on 14-22 and 6-10 from the line), 11 rebounds, and 4 assists, and it was the scoring of Bobby Portis (23 points on 9-10 and a perfect 5-5 from distance) and Gary Trent Jr. (20 points on 6-10 and 3-7 from three) that kept the Bucks within touching distance. A final five minute small-ball lineup featuring Damian Lillard, Andre Jackson Jr., Khris Middleton, Portis, and Antetokounmpo would finally bring Brooklyn’s tough shot making to a halt; much-improved offensive execution took them home from there.

Read our full summary of the game here!

What Did We Learn?

We decisively learned that the Bucks are now capable of fielding actual small-ball lineups now that Khris Middleton is back. In the recent loss to the Boston Celtics the Bucks struggled to cohere into a smaller group with Giannis at center that could stop the defensive bleeding against an excellent three-point shooting squad. A large part of the issue was the absence of Taurean Prince who gave it a go with illness, but could only log nine minutes. Bobby stepped into that gap to little avail. He just isn’t the defender you need against a team with that kind of personnel.

Tonight, however, Bobby was a massive boost to the Giannis-at-center group coach Doc Rivers opted to go to with around five minutes left in the game. Brook Lopez was subbed off the floor by Antetokounmpo at the 8:02 mark and the last piece to complete the closing group was Jackson stepping onto the court with 4:22 left. After trading a few baskets to the tune of a 104-108 Nets lead with 3:08 left, Brooklyn would not register another point until Dorian Finney-Smith got a three to fall off a busted coverage. In total, that group I outlined above was responsible for forcing two turnovers and two blocks after spending the entire game struggling to sustain defensive pressure. Portis in particular was massive with two wide-open, step-into-it threes of title-run vintage while Giannis Antetokounmpo shied away from the battering ram strategy to set others up. Even on a relatively quiet night from Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton in terms of sheer scoring, the closing group executed at a high level.

That is all extremely promising news and exactly what Bucks fans have been hoping to see all season. There will be battles to earn a spot in Doc’s go-to closing group (Andre Jackson Jr. may battle Gary Trent Jr. who may battle Delon Wright while Bobby Portis and Taurean Prince will scrap for the four slot), but fresh off a disappointing close against the Celtics it was encouraging to see something quite the opposite out of this group.

Three Bench Bucks

Bobby Portis

Probably (surely?) his best performance of the season so far, and wouldn’t you know it? A large part of it had to do with his taking and actually making shots. An even larger part probably had to do with the fact that his 3PAr was a clean .500, a feat he has rarely reached this season. While his tough shot making in the first half was good news for a Bucks team needing help to tide over the non-Giannis minutes, it was his effortless threes late that ultimately broke Brooklyn’s back. Those shots were vintage Bobby. Pair that with a stretch of above-competent play defensively (he swatted away a Dennis Schröder jumper which turned into a game-sealing Giannis dunk) thanks to Nic Claxton’s inability to space the floor, and you’ve got Bobby rightfully taking a bow in this one.

Gary Trent Jr.

Another tough shot merchant for a Bucks team that needed them with the paucity of contributions from the rest of the rotation—AJax and AJ Green were good for six each, Lopez for three, and Prince for zero. Trent was consistent in each frame and took and made some tough looks, especially stepping inside the three-point line. Defensively, I think he is still finding his feet next to someone like Damian Lillard (Jackson Jr.’s preponderance of quick twitch energy is evident here), but his recent push into averaging double-digit scoring on good efficiency is exactly how he can make a case for pushing back into the starting lineup should the need arise.

Khris Middleton

Khris was good to great in his 20 minutes of play. The 11 points won’t wow, but he was also good for a late three to help topple the Nets. It was his six assists with zero turnovers that should garner some attention, though. For all those who forget or forgot (myself largely and loudly included) how well Middleton tends to fit in with a variety of lineups, his controlled performance against Brooklyn was a great reminder. His height gives him access to passing lanes that someone like Lillard has to drive to force open, he quite clearly has the kind of enhanced mental enmeshment with Giannis that no other basketball player on Earth shares (those transition and entry passes… oh my), and the odds of his tough shots going in tend to be better than Bobby’s. All that without bogging down the flow of the offense. Let’s call it two-for-two in terms of good Middleton performances on his young season.

Bonus Bucks Bits

It was a quiet scoring night for Dame with 15 points on merely 2-7, all shots come from outside. While you’d normally like to see him hunting his own shot more he made up for it seeking to create for others. His 11 assists were offset by 7 turnovers, but at least there was plenty coming from the bench to make up the difference.
If Andre Jackson Jr. ever gets even a semblance of a scorer’s sense, lineups that include him will sing. Doc Rivers did a superb job managing his minutes and fouls and was rewarded with great defense by Jackson late.
Also, nobody runs themselves ragged trying to set on-ball screens for Lillard like AJax. That lack of a driving/scoring instinct limits how effective Jackson can be, but it is a start.
Prince seemed a little sluggish still as he continues battling illness. Once he’s back to full health we’ll need to keep an eye on 1) When he is replaced in the starting lineup and 2) Whether he makes the closing lineup cut.
I’m starting to game theorize a situation where the Middleton-into-starting-lineup swap is accompanied by another change in that group, too. After all, Trent was brought to Milwaukee to fill that two guard spot alongside Milwaukee’s other starters. Will Trent’s improved play garner another spot start even if Jackson continues to play relatively well?
Bobby-Brook big lineups continue to bleed interior scoring and transition looks. That went a long way to putting Brooklyn in a leading position late in the third before a Bucks run evened things up.

Up Next

The regular season will now step somewhat aside for the closing phases of the NBA Cup as the Bucks look to make two consecutive Cup final appearances. They’ll continue their campaign on Tuesday hosting the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM CST and you’ll be able to watch it on FanDuel Sports Network WI and TNT.

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Milwaukee, WI

Lapse of health care contract for Milwaukee County employees angers officials

Published

8 hours ago

January 31, 2026

Press Room

Lapse of health care contract for Milwaukee County employees angers officials

Milwaukee County officials are calling for an “emergency action” after learning that the contract covering health insurance for thousands of county employees has lapsed.

During a Jan. 29 committee on finance meeting, Milwaukee County Supervisors learned that the county’s health care contract with UnitedHealthcare expired at the end of last year. County Corporation Counsel Scott Brown said the contract is one of the “single most important contracts in the county.”

“I think there’s enormous risk to us operating … without this contract,” Brown said.

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The county’s deputy corporation counsel William Davidson said there could be “catastrophic risk” if the county does not move to approve a contract soon. He said the ability for county employees to “receive and pay for services might be affected.”

Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor said he was angry, calling the situation “unacceptable.”

“This is crazy,” Taylor said.

In an interview with WPR Friday evening, Taylor said more than 3,000 county employees are covered by the plan. He said coverage for employees is continuing under the old contract. However, Brown said if an employee does have a large claim before a new contract is signed, the lapse could leave UnitedHealthcare “in a position to deny it.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is running for governor as a Democrat, said Crowley has “directed administration officials to resolve the situation and work with the Board of Supervisors to approve the contract next week.”

During the Jan. 29 meeting, Milwaukee County Human Resources Director Tony Maze said he hired an outside actuary to do the request for proposals for a health plan for employees in an attempt to save money. When pressed about the issue by county supervisors, Maze said he did not follow the county’s rules for the request for proposal process.

Milwaukee County Supervisor Anne O’Connor called for an emergency meeting Monday morning in response to what she called “damage control mode.”

“I feel like what I am hearing is extremely concerning, to the point where I think we have to consider some emergency action, ” O’Connor said.

That meeting will be held Monday at 10 a.m.

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Milwaukee, WI

Updating the Milwaukee Brewers’ payroll projection for 2026

Published

20 hours ago

January 30, 2026

Press Room

Updating the Milwaukee Brewers’ payroll projection for 2026

At the start of the offseason, we looked at the initial payroll projection for 2026. While not much has changed to the roster since then, there have been some adjustments. As the end of January approaches, and pitchers and catchers are set to report in just 13 days, the starting payroll is getting closer to a set amount. Let’s take a look at what has changed since then. (If you want to review the original projection from the end of October, you can find that post here.)

Here are some reminders for the projection.

The majority of these numbers are from Spotrac, which has estimated payroll numbers for all MLB teams.
Per the CBA, the minimum salary for players in 2026 is $780,000. Any pre-arbitration player has this salary listed by default. These salaries can be slightly different for each player, but not by a significant amount.
This is not a roster projection for 2026. Some players on this list are currently in the organization but may be planned for a minor league role. This is just in place to show what a minimum commitment would be. Minimum salaries can be swapped out for any other minimum salary player that would be in the minors.
While I do not think the Brewers will break camp with 14 position players and 12 pitchers, that is how it is set up below due to current commitments. That will change before the season.
In the initial payroll for 2026, I included the declined options after the 2025 season. Spotrac has moved those numbers to the 2025 season, so I have also adjusted for that to keep the numbers consistent.
The final projected payroll for 2025 was $156,266,827, per Spotrac. That was 18th in MLB.

First, here are the projections for the initial roster.

Position Players		Bench Players
C – William Contreras	$9,900,000*	C – Jeferson Quero	$780,000
1B – Andrew Vaughn	$7,650,000	1B – Jake Bauers	$2,700,000
2B – Brice Turang	$4,150,000	UT – Andruw Monasterio	$780,000
3B – Caleb Durbin	$780,000	OF – Garrett Mitchell	$950,000
SS – Joey Ortiz	$780,000	OF – Akil Baddoo	$1,250,000
LF – Jackson Chourio	$7,000,000
CF – Blake Perkins	$780,000
RF – Sal Frelick	$780,000
DH – Christian Yelich	$26,000,000
Total	$57,820,000	Total	$6,460,000

Starting Pitchers		Relief Pitchers
Brandon Woodruff	$22,025,000	Aaron Ashby	$5,700,000
Quinn Priester	$780,000	Trevor Megill	$4,700,000
Jacob Misiorowski	$780,000	Angel Zerpa	$1,095,000
Chad Patrick	$780,000	Abner Uribe	$780,000
Logan Henderson	$780,000	Jared Koenig	$780,000
		Grant Anderson	$780,000
		DL Hall	$780,000
Total	$25,145,000	Total	$14,615,000

Summary	Amount
Position Players	$57,820,000
Bench Players	$6,460,000
Starting Pitchers	$25,145,000
Relief Pitchers	$14,615,000
Initial Total for 2026	$104,040,000

Here’s a summary of what has changed since the original payroll:

Brandon Woodruff accepted his qualifying offer. That added his $22.025 million salary into the payroll. Even though Woodruff accepted the offer, he will also receive the buyout for his option being declined (that is factored into 2025 payroll).
William Contreras is the one player who still has a pending arbitration decision. Currently, he is estimated at $9.9 million, which is what he filed for. The Brewers filed for an $8.55 million salary. A deal could still happen before the hearing, but the salary will be somewhere between those two numbers.
Every other player that is in an arbitration year agreed to their salary. The contract amounts have been added above.
The following players have been removed: Freddy Peralta, Isaac Collins, Nick Mears
The following players have been added: Brandon Woodruff, Ángel Zerpa, Akil Baddoo

The total above is just the initial total based on the projected active roster. However, there’s still more money to factor in to the payroll. If you compare it to the active roster at the end of the season, the Brewers only had just over $84 million of their $156 million total on the active roster. Here’s where the rest of the payroll came from. (Some rounding is used in the table, so actual amounts will be slightly different.)

Source	Amount
Injured List (End of Season)	$15,800,000
Traded/Released Players (Not on roster at end of season)	$15,200,000
Declined Options	$16,600,000
Deferred Salaries	$2,800,000
Player Benefits	$18,000,000
Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool	$1,666,666
Minor-League Contracts	$2,700,000
Total	$72,766,666

Some of those numbers will be in the 2026 payroll as well. Specifically, the last four numbers will be very similar to 2025. The first three will be different in 2026. For the moment, there will not be any options to consider after the 2026 season, so that number can be ignored.

As for the other two numbers, it’s difficult to include a solid projection. Those numbers can easily be inflated by circumstances during the season. For example, if we looked at the injured list at the end of 2024, that was highly inflated due to Yelich finishing the season on it. If we go back to 2022, the traded/release player number was significantly higher because Lorenzo Cain’s final year salary was included. That would also result in the active payroll having a lower figure due to the changes in players, but those numbers end up in the IL or traded/released categories instead.

There’s one other factor that Spotrac considers in their payroll estimate. Even though the initial projection factors in 26 players, Spotrac adds in the payroll for 12 additional pre-arbitration players. Considering the Brewers were paying for seven IL players and eight players not on the team anymore (not counting two who were paid under $10,000), adding in 12 more players is a reasonable estimate. Those 12 players would make $9.36 million total. (Spotrac uses a slightly higher $820,000 estimate for pre-arbitration players, but the CBA minimum is at $780,000.)

What we can expect for 2026 is similar to the 2025 payroll. In terms of cash payroll, the total will at most be around that $156 million mark. The Brewers have been in the $140-$156 million range in recent years and that likely will not change. With that in mind, here’s a comprehensive look at the estimated payroll for 2026.

Source	Amount
Initial Projected Roster	$104,040,000
Additional Roster Players	$9,360,000
Deferred Salaries	$2,800,000
Player Benefits	$18,000,000
Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool	$1,666,666
Minor-League Contracts	$2,700,000
Initial Payroll Projection	$138,566,666

That leaves $17.4 million in potential additional payroll space. That extra space would be needed for the team to make in-season moves. It gives them the ability to take on money in contracts for players acquired by trade. It would also factor in contracts for players who make the team that are on minor league contracts (such as the recently signed Reese McGuire). It also gives them the opportunity to bring in a low-cost contract in spring training if the team has a sudden need.

With the overall quiet offseason for the Brewers, the payroll appears to be heading to a similar point in 2026. Any space remaining will be needed for in-season flexibility. There is potential for a smaller signing, since the team gained $7 million in space after trading Peralta. However, the team may be content to just save that money for now. If that’s the case, what we’re looking at will be close to the current spending plan for next season.

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Milwaukee, WI

Food For Health is fighting disease and disparities through medically tailored meals

Published

1 day ago

January 30, 2026

Press Room

Food For Health is fighting disease and disparities through medically tailored meals

Food For Health is transforming community health in Milwaukee by using the power of food as medicine.

According to President and CEO Katherine Koshgarian, the organization is Wisconsin’s first and only accredited medically tailored meal program provider, offering a comprehensive, medical-grade intervention designed to prevent, manage, and even reverse diet-related disease.

Beyond meals, Food For Health provides education, support and community-centered programming to address the root causes of health disparities.

As a community-based organization, Food For Health serves as a hub where people of all ages feel safe, supported and connected. Its mission extends beyond the building’s walls through the delivery of individually prepared, packaged and nutritious meals straight to participants’ doorsteps, removing barriers such as transportation and lack of access.

Each medically tailored meal is created with fresh, whole ingredients and customized to a person’s specific health condition, functioning much like a prescription—only in the form of food.

Food For Health’s impact is measurable and significant. In one six-month program, 89% of participants lowered dangerously high A1C levels into the normal range; 74% brought their blood pressure into normal range, and participants collectively lost nearly 3,000 pounds.

Watch: Food For Health is fighting disease and disparities through medically tailored meals

Food For Health is fighting disease and disparities through medically tailored meals

The organization has also launched one of the nation’s leading maternal and infant health programs, addressing conditions such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. Currently, 94% of participants in that program are experiencing healthy birth outcomes.

Participants say the program has been
life changing. Carmelith Smith shared that Food For Health made her pregnancy healthier than her first and taught her how to cook and eat better.

Valley Hollins says she has lost 45 pounds, no longer needs blood pressure medication, and is no longer borderline diabetic.

For those who cannot afford meals, philanthropic support helps cover the cost, while others can enroll directly—each purchased meal also sponsors one for someone in need. More information is available at the Food for Health website.

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