Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Bucks Unveil Point Guard Bobby In First Preseason Game
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 19: Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after a basket … [+]
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The Milwaukee Bucks tipped-off a new era on Sunday with a preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. Although it was your typical sloppy and vanilla exhibition contest, there were several intriguing developments, including the unveiling of point guard Bobby Portis.
The new man in charge for the Bucks, head coach Adrian Griffin, has set a clear directive: they’re going to pick up the pace and prioritize transition plays. It’s an approach that promises excitement and challenges.
In their initial preseason matchup, though, things were a little different. The team was without its main quartet of ball-handlers—Damian Lillard, Cam Payne, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton. As a result, it was Portis who sometimes took up the mantle of bringing the ball up the court and directing the offense.
Under Mike Budenholzer, Portis was typically asked to run the floor without the rock in his hands and make himself available in transition. It appears his playmaking responsibilities have increased in the new era.
We saw the first glimpse of this just a few minutes into the game. Portis snagged a rebound and immediately turned up court with bad intentions. As he dribbled across halfcourt, three Bucks were staggered to his right and Malik Beasley was on his left. Beasley veered into Portis’s defender, forcing some miscommunication on the Bulls’ part as the new Bucks’ point guard turned the corner and finished the layup in traffic.
This was a great example of the early offense Griffin wants Milwaukee to create. They got a point-blank look just eight seconds into the shot clock and against a scrambling defense.
Before the Bucks signed Payne last week, questions swirled about who would handle the ball for them. Although Lillard, Antetokounmpo and Middleton are capable of carrying heavy loads, they certainly needed at least one more ball-handler. That question was mostly answered with the free agent acquisition of Payne, but it appears Griffin might give all of the Bucks (or at least, most of them) more leeway to bring the ball up the floor following a defensive rebound and look for easy buckets early in the clock.
Portis got another chance to do just that four minutes into the second quarter. Brook Lopez skied for a rebound following a missed shot from DeMar DeRozan and tossed it to Portis who immediately took off trying to inflict damage on the Bulls.
With Chicago still getting settled, Portis went to that same left wing with Beasley, but went into a dribble handoff this time around. Chicago handled it better, switching defenders and putting Zach LaVine on Portis. However, that’s exactly what the fan-favorite wanted, as he posted up, received the pass and Beasley cleared out of the space. It wasn’t long before Portis backed down his defender, spun baseline and hit a nifty jumper over a leaping LaVine, this time a whopping 10 seconds into the shot clock.
On both occasions, Milwaukee did a tremendous job getting up the floor quickly and running their secondary break against an unexpecting defense.
This is a new role for Portis who has mostly played off the ball during his time in Milwaukee. When he did have the rock in his hands, it was closer to the post or in a catch-and-shoot scenario. He was rarely asked to create offense for his teammates, especially by initiating.
That means there will be growing pains, as what happened just a couple minutes later in the second quarter. Lopez again fed Portis following a defensive rebound. As he dribbled the ball up the right side, he lost control and had to dive on the floor as it scooted out of bounds.
For now, Milwaukee will live with these types of possession, especially in exhibition games, as they work out the kinks. It’s the type of learning experience the entire team is undertaking under a new offensive and defensive scheme.
The Bucks’ first preseason game against the Bulls was akin to catching a glimpse of the tip of an iceberg in a vast ocean. While they didn’t unveil their full arsenal of strategies in this meaningless contest, it was as if we saw a hummock rising above the surface, providing a tantalizing hint of what lies beneath for the upcoming season. Will there be more point guard Bobby in store? Stay tuned to find out.
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers return to American Family Field for the 2025 home opener against the Kansas City Royals on Monday, March 31. You can watch the game only on FOX6.
Brewers vs. Kansas City Royals
What we know:
The Brewers aim to break a three-game losing streak when they play the Kansas City Royals. The first pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.
Milwaukee went 93-69 overall and 47-34 in home games last season. The Brewers scored 4.8 runs per game while allowing 4.0 last season.
Kansas City had an 86-76 record overall and a 41-40 record on the road last season. The Royals pitching staff had a collective 3.76 ERA while averaging 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings in the 2024 season.
The Crew hosts Kansas City for three games (March 31-April 2) and then a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds (April 3-6).
A news release says the 2025 home opener will include several remembrances, including Ueck’s signature across the outfield grass, a moment of silence and the Milwaukee debut of the Uecker jersey patch on all on-field personnel jerseys.
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Parking lots and gates
What we know:
Parking lots will open at 10:10 a.m. (three hours prior to game time) and ballpark gates will open at 11:10 a.m. (two hours prior to game time). Parking ambassadors will be onsite to assist guests with activating their parking sessions.
Ceremonial First Pitch
What we know:
The ceremonial first pitch (takes place approx. 1:02 p.m.): The 2025 Home Opener Ceremonial First Pitches will be thrown by Karl Simandl, representing the Wounded Warrior Project, and Dr. Kent Botsford, of the ALS Association.
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Both causes were supported by the late Brewers Broadcaster, Bob Uecker, and are now supported by the Uecker Family and Brewers in his memory.
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Pregame Party
What we know:
Fans can stop by the pedestrian bridge to participate in trivia sessions with In-Game Hosts Nicole Sedivy and Carrie Mahone, hop in the Brew Crew photo booth and meet Brewers mascots who will make appearances throughout the morning.
Pregame entertainment will include drumline performances from Ronald Reagan High School, Rufus King High School and South Division High School and dance performances from the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies and Lake Country Dockettes.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Associated Press and the Milwaukee Brewers.
I’m Hope Karnopp, and this is the Daily Briefing newsletter by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sign up here to get it sent to your inbox each morning.
It’s going to be chilly for the Brewers’ home opener today, with temperatures feeling like the mid-30s by first pitch. It should stay dry for Election Day tomorrow, though western parts of the state could see rain and snow. Meteorologists are tracking the potential for more strong storms Wednesday.
Why tomorrow’s election is a referendum on Trump
Wisconsin voters will elect a new Supreme Court justice tomorrow. But the April election is much more than a state-level race — it represents a referendum on President Donald Trump and his first 20 weeks in office, Molly Beck and Daniel Bice report.
Brad Schimel, the conservative candidate, has leaned heavily into Trump’s endorsement and joined him for a “tele-rally.” A spokesman for Susan Crawford, the liberal in the race, said Schimel “resorted to being fully at the mercy of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.”
Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School poll, said Schimel’s strategy has never been tried before in Wisconsin, making it “risky.”
“It probably will mobilize some Trump voters who don’t normally vote in spring elections, but also is likely to mobilize Democrats who are extraordinarily opposed to Trump, but perhaps not otherwise intense about the court race,” Franklin said. “So is mobilization or counter-mobilization the greater effect?”
Can We Energies demand backpay on a faulty meter?
Sharon Saxelby, who is retired and on a fixed income, got a We Energies bill for $926 in January. After calling We Energies three times, she was told she owed nearly $700 in backpay due to a “bill irregularity.” She contacted our Public Investigator team, who looked into the matter.
We Energies discovered in December that the “wrong meter” was installed for Saxelby’s Brookfield condo. That meter had recorded just 75% of the electricity used for “the last few years,” a spokeswoman said. Now, We Energies is demanding Saxelby pay for the additional electricity she used over the past two years because of a state law.
Although Saxelby owns her condo, she doesn’t own or control the electricity meter and says it’s unfair for her to pay for We Energies’ mistake. We Energies says customers should know this is a “a very rare case, and the overwhelming majority of our 2.2 million meters work exactly as they should.”
Gina Lee Castro also breaks down whether back billing is legal, and how a similar situation was resolved in the 1970s.
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Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com or on X at @hopekarnopp.
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