Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Bucks’ Season Opener: Likes And Dislikes
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 23: Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on against … [+]
The Milwaukee Bucks tipped off the 2024-25 NBA season on the right foot, dispatching the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers 124-109 on Wednesday night. It was a promising start, but not without a few things to keep an eye on.
Let’s dive into what stood out—for better or worse—from Milwaukee’s first game of the season.
Like: Bucks’ Off-Ball Movement
The days of Bucks players camping out on the perimeter, waiting for something to happen, are over. Doc Rivers is preaching movement off the ball, and Milwaukee’s players have clearly bought in.
It’s especially apparent when Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lilalrd have the rock—everyone else knows it’s time to start moving. Even Bobby Portis is keeping his eyes up, passing up his usual mid-range looks in favor of hitting cutters like Taurean Prince on backdoor slashes.
Prince’s two cuts in particular embody the shift in Milwaukee’s offense. In the first clip, Portis catches the ball in the mid-corner, and instead of sizing up his man, he finds Prince cutting from the weakside wing as the defense ball-watches. Easy bucket.
In the second clip, Prince again moves from the opposite wing on the floor, slicing into the heart of the defense at just the right moment. Antetokounmpo rewards him with a slick pass, leading to another layup.
This is what the new five-out offense looks like: constant motion, space to attack, and opportunities for role players to feast.
Like: The Lillard-Lopez Two-Man Game
Much has been made of the Antetokounmpo-Lillard duo, but it was Dame and Brook Lopez who stole the show in the opener. Their pick-and-roll synergy carried over from last season, and it’s already opening up shots for everyone.
Take the first play: Lillard threads a perfect pocket pass to a rolling Lopez at the free throw line, drawing help from the weakside corner. Lopez calmly dishes it out to Prince for a clean corner three. Simple, effective, devastating.
On the next possession, Lopez sets a high screen for Lillard. The defense fails to step out, and Dame punishes them with a pull-up three that finds the bottom of the net.
Later in the same half, they connect on a gorgeous pick-and-roll from half-court. Lillard shakes the screen defender with a hesitation move nearing the three-point line, blows by Lopez’s man, and finishes with a silky left-handed layup.
If Antetokounmpo and Lillard take time to develop chemistry, this duo will be more than enough to keep the offense humming.
Like: Gary Trent Jr. is Bucks Defensive Stopper
With Paul George and Joel Embiid out, the Sixers leaned heavily on Tyrese Maxey, who took 31 shots (yes, 31). Gary Trent Jr. took that assignment personally—and made sure it wasn’t going to be an easy night for Philly’s go-to scorer.
Maxey finished with 25 points on those 31 attempts, a testament to how well Trent Jr. made him work.
The first possession in the clip above stands out: Maxey dribbled 19 times, used five screens, and burned 16 seconds off the clock—all just to get a contested jumper over Trent Jr. the Bucks will take that effort every time.
Trent Jr. also showcased his ability to fight over screens, sliding through traffic and staying glued to his man. This kind of perimeter defense is something Milwaukee lacked from their two-guard spot last year, and it’ll be essential as the Bucks navigate the long season.
Dislike: Bucks’ Defensive Rebounding
Milwaukee gave up 17 offensive rebounds to the Sixers—a concerning number that put a damper on what was otherwise a strong defensive effort. The defensive possession isn’t over until the rebound is secured, and the Bucks struggled to finish the job.
Antetokounmpo was one of the biggest offenders, relying too much on his athleticism instead of boxing out. Too often, he watched the ball rather than putting a body on his man.
The Bucks have the personnel to clean this up, but it’s going to take more discipline and attention to detail—especially when it comes to helping the helper on dribble penetration.
This needs to be addressed quickly if Milwaukee wants to limit second-chance points.
Dislike: Giannis’ Kryptonite—Free Throws
It’s hard to say who enjoyed Giannis’ struggles at the line more—the Sixers or their fans. Each pair of missed free throws earned the crowd free chicken nuggets, and Antetokounmpo obliged with two sets of bricks.
He finished the night 9-for-16 from the stripe, good for just 56.3 percent. He has hovered in the mid-60s for the last two seasons, but if Milwaukee hopes to avoid “Hack-a-Giannis” situations late in games, he’ll need to push that number into the low 70s. It’s only one game, but this is something to monitor as the season unfolds.
Overall, there was plenty to like about the Bucks’ first game—and a few areas that need work. It’s a long season, but the very first signs are encouraging.
Milwaukee, WI
Brewers, Salvation Army pack hundreds of lunches for Milwaukee children through Feed the Kids program
MILWAUKEE—- The Milwaukee Brewers and The Salvation Army teamed up Monday to help fight childhood hunger by packing hundreds of lunches for children across Milwaukee County.
Brewers front office staff, volunteers, and community leaders assembled 600 lunches at American Family Field as part of the annual Feed the Kids summer meals program.
Each lunch includes a turkey sandwich with cheese, fruit, vegetables, and milk. The meals will be distributed to children on weekdays through August 21st at six locations throughout Milwaukee County while school is out for the summer. The locations include Salvation Army Citadel Corps, Cold Springs Corps, Tiefenthaler Park, Westlawn Gardens, Salvation Army Distribution Center, and Carver Park. The Salvation Army also reminds attendees that all meals must be eaten on-site in accordance with USDA policy.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County Area Commander Major Beverly Gates, and Brewers players Andrew Vaughn and Chad Patrick joined volunteers during the event.
“While school is out, many children lose access to the meals they depend upon during the school year,” Major Beverly said. “Feed the Kids helps to fill that void, making sure that children have something nutritious to eat and reminding them that they are valued, that they’re important and that they’re supported.”
The Feed the Kids program began in 1990 and has provided more than 2.8 million meals to children facing food insecurity across Milwaukee County.
“I think just the act of making a sandwich may not seem like a lot, but really, for the kids across Milwaukee, it means a ton,” Mayor Johnson said. “For kids in Milwaukee and for kids in cities, the hunger really spikes when they’re no longer in school, when they don’t have, you know, that sort of structured programming around them. So the work that you’re doing today, it may seem pretty simple making a sandwich, but it really goes much farther than that.”
Organizers say the program helps fill the gap for families who rely on school meal programs during the academic year, ensuring children continue to have access to nutritious lunches throughout the summer.
Cincinnati Reds (39-43, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (50-31, first in the NL Central)
Milwaukee; Monday, 7:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Nick Lodolo (2-2, 5.59 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 38 strikeouts); Brewers: Robert Gasser (1-3, 4.50 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 31 strikeouts)
LINE: Brewers -156, Reds +126; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers begin a four-game series at home against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
Milwaukee is 50-31 overall and 26-17 at home. The Brewers have gone 35-13 in games when they record at least eight hits.
Cincinnati has gone 20-21 in road games and 39-43 overall. The Reds have a 27-6 record in games when they scored at least five runs.
The matchup Monday is the fourth time these teams match up this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: William Contreras has nine home runs, 31 walks and 50 RBIs while hitting .301 for the Brewers. Brice Turang is 10 for 44 with a double, a triple and three RBIs over the past 10 games.
Elly De La Cruz has 13 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 38 RBIs for the Reds. Spencer Steer is 7 for 39 with three home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Brewers: 5-5, .239 batting average, 3.30 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs
Reds: 4-6, .215 batting average, 4.45 ERA, outscored by seven runs
INJURIES: Brewers: Coleman Crow: 15-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Lockridge: 10-Day IL (knee), Brian Fitzpatrick: 60-Day IL (elbow), D.L. Hall: 15-Day IL (pectoral), Quinn Priester: 60-Day IL (wrist), Carlos Rodriguez: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Logan Henderson: 15-Day IL (back), Rob Zastryzny: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Angel Zerpa: 60-Day IL (forearm)
Reds: Eugenio Suarez: day-to-day (hand), Blake Dunn: 10-Day IL (elbow), Tony Santillan: 15-Day IL (oblique), Ke’Bryan Hayes: 10-Day IL (back), Emilio Pagan: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Nick Lodolo: day-to-day (wrist), Graham Ashcraft: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Hunter Greene: 60-Day IL (elbow)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
A game and a series that started so promising, ended up in an emotional loss for the Milwaukee Brewers as they fall to their rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 4-3 in 10 innings on Sunday afternoon.
Brandon Woodruff was the big positive. In his second start since coming back from the IL, Woodruff shoved once again, allowing just one hit over 5.2 scoreless innings. He was efficient and filled up the strike zone as he usually does. Woodruff ended the day with six strikeouts on his line and protecting a one-run lead.
That one run lead was provided by Gary Sanchez, who took a 1-1 fastball from lefty Ryan Rolison and tattooed it into the second deck in left field. It was Sanchez’s eighth home run of the season.
However, that was all the Brewers offense could really muster off Rolison and then old friend Bryse Wilson, who shut down the Crew’s offense over his 4.1 IP.
The Brewers did have a number of opportunities, though. Runners at the corners in the 3rd with one out, both Chourio and Turang strike out. In the 4th, Andrew Vaughn gets a leadoff triple, no one can even muster a sac fly to bring him home. Runners on first in the 6th, 7th, and 8th, no advancement. In the 9th, the Brewers had runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, a base hit can walk it off, and both Cooper Pratt and Joey Ortiz strike out.
“I think sometimes guy maybe try to do too much, and that’s where we try to preach ‘take what the game gives you and go back to taking pitches and handing it to the next guy’” offense and strategy coordinator Jason Lane said.
Meanwhile the Crew used up their top bullpen arms in those earlier leverage innings. Aaron Ashby spiked a curveball with a runner on 3rd to allow the Cubs to tie the game in the 7th. But then Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill got the jobs done in the 8th and 9th. But with few leverage arms left, the Brewers turned to Joel Kuhnel in the 10th.
Kuhnel was able to get the first two batters out at the bottom of the Cubs order. Then he just lost the strike zone. They intentionally walked Pete Crow-Armstrong, then Kuhnel hits Bregman, then walks Michael Busch to bring in a run. Then Seiya Suzuki rips a single to left to score two more and put the Cubs up 4-1.
The Brewers put together some big chances in the 10th. Christian Yelich singled home Ortiz, then Chourio walked and Turang singled, loading the bases for pinch-hitter Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell worked a walk and the Brewers were within a run, down 4-3, with the bases loaded and nobody out.
That’s exactly when it all went sideways. Jake Bauers, after seeing Mitchell get walked, swung at the first pitch and hit a shallow pop fly into left field that was nowhere near deep enough to score a run. Then Gary Sanchez, who homered in the 2nd, grounded into a tailor-made 5-4-3 double play to end the game.
Milwaukee was 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. Woodruff pitched well enough to win. The bullpen did well enough to win through nine innings. The offense just couldn’t give them enough.
The Brewers missed way too many opportunities to put this game away when they should have and that leaves them on the short end of this series where they had their top three arms in the rotation going. The lead over the Cubs sits at 5.5 games now and the Brewers will look to turn the page to the Reds series.
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