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Can Doc Rivers fix the broken Bucks? Plus, Paolo Banchero has season's first 50-point game

29 October 2024Last Update :
Can Doc Rivers fix the broken Bucks? Plus, Paolo Banchero has season's first 50-point game

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Payton Pritchard hit a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that caused Doc Rivers to bend over like he was about to vomit. Of course, I turned that into dubbing over Seth Rogen in “Superbad” saying Michael Cera is the fastest kid alive.

Bucks Start Here?

Milwaukee is off to a troubling start

Nearly four weeks ago, some idiot was in this distinct newsletter telling you the Suns and Bucks were being forgotten as NBA contenders. It’s me. I’m the idiot. Maybe. It’s still early. The Suns are off to a great start, but the Bucks are very much not.

The latter beat the 76ers on opening night, as the Sixers missed Joel Embiid and Paul George. Then, they lost at home to the Bulls and on the road to the Nets. Last night, Milwaukee hung tough for a while against the defending champion Celtics.

Eventually, the dam broke as Boston buried the Bucks with a 119-108 victory behind 30 points from Jaylen Brown and 28 points with eight made 3-pointers off the bench from Payton Pritchard. We’re only four games in, so nobody should be roasted for losing in Boston … but this Bucks team, which started No. 8 in BetMGM’s NBA title odds, losing such a game after losses against Chicago and Brooklyn isn’t a good sign. They just don’t resemble the team they’re supposed to be. We’re only 5 percent into the season, but I’m getting worried about the Deer. The Bucks started 1-3 under Doc Rivers when he took over in the middle of last season. Unfortunately, they’ve remained consistent by starting out 1-3 with him this season.

I decided to ask Eric Nehm — the best in the business at covering the Bucks — what is wrong and if it’s time to panic.

What’s the biggest problem the Bucks have to start this season?

Nehm: They just didn’t bring the requisite effort, intensity and focus to those two games against the Bulls and Nets. Rivers referred to them as “horrible games” following the loss to the Celtics on Monday, and it would be difficult to disagree with that assessment. They committed far too many turnovers, gave up too many offensive rebounds and played defense with a general malaise that allowed both the Bulls and Nets to build confidence in the first half and then blow out the Bucks in the second half. If they plan on being one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference, they can’t give games away against teams they should beat.

Is Doc Rivers going to be able to fix this? Should Bucks fans be worried?

Nehm: It’s worth noting that the Bucks have a top-heavy roster and Khris Middleton has yet to play a game this season. To some, that could mean a reason to worry even more, while others may believe that is a reason for optimism moving forward. I think it is fair for Bucks fans to worry because the Bucks should have started the season 3-0 before dropping Monday’s game to the Celtics, but there is still plenty of reason to believe they can turn this around. If Doc Rivers is going to get them back into the position to contend for a title this season, it will require him getting more from his roster on the nights in which they play less talented teams and continuing to build chemistry between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Both of those things are far from impossible.

The Last 24

The top three, middle three and bottom three

I’m no longer doing the Power Rankings for The Athletic. Law Murray has taken the torch, so he’s burning down all of your favorite teams with it! However, I just can’t help myself when it comes to ranking teams. Each Tuesday, I’ll give you the top three, middle three and bottom three teams. Some are saying admitting your favorite three middling teams is the bravest thing you can do on the internet. Let’s find out together!

Top three: Celtics (4-0), Thunder (3-0), Cavaliers (4-0)

We expect the Celtics to keep rolling. We’re impressed by the Thunder’s good start, even though it’s not surprising at all. Everybody tabbed them to be great this season. The Cavs? Sure, their first three wins happened against Toronto, Detroit and Washington, but their win in New York was great.

Middle three: LA Clippers (2-1), Kings (1-2), Rockets (2-2)

I really like the way the Clippers have started the season, and James Harden could easily have them at 3-0. The Kings have a losing record, but they barely lost to Minnesota and the Lakers. The Rockets are just as solid as they come and still great defensively.

Bottom three: Blazers (1-3), Jazz (0-3), Pistons (0-4)

I kind of like the way the Blazers are approaching things, but they’re still bad. The Jazz are winless and unwatchable on offense. The Pistons are winless and still can’t close games.

Here’s everything else you need to know from the last 24 hours in the NBA world.

🏀 Another fired WNBA coach. The Sun fired coach Stephanie White. Half the league is without coaches right now. Read more here. 

⚾ Spotted! Paul George and Sabrina Ionescu at Game 3 of the World Series in New York. PG was representing the Dodgers, as a distant Los Angeles native. One issue: He is a Padres fan?

🩼 Steph Curry will miss at least two games. His ankle injury is a bummer, but hopefully not serious. Don’t miss Marcus Thompson. 

🗣️ Dwyane Wade says he likes his statue! I mean … what is he supposed to say? His thoughts. 

🙏 Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks suffered a gruesome injury. The second-year player seemed to make a normal step on the court, and ended up with a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle. Here’s to a speedy and full recovery.

📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Mavericks (2-1) at Timberwolves (2-1), 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. We’ll see if Julius Randle is the missing piece for this WCF rematch.

🤯 Stat

Denver is desperate need of Jokić minutes

I have some good news regarding the Nuggets (1-2)! They won last night! Yes, it was against the Raptors (1-3). Yes, it took an end-of-regulation reverse layup by Jamal Murray with 0.3 seconds left to force overtime. And yes, Denver nearly blew an eight-point lead in that overtime before securing the victory thanks to RJ Barrett missing a go-ahead 3-pointer followed by subsequent missed tip-ins by the Raptors.

Still, Nikola Jokić had 40 points (17 in the fourth quarter and OT), 10 rebounds and four assists as Denver notched its first win of the season. Here’s the mind-blowing stat I promised:

With Jokić on the floor this season: The Nuggets are plus-7 in 116 minutes with a 114.2 offensive rating.

With Jokić on the bench this season: The Nuggets are minus-25 in 33 minutes with a 60.3 offensive rating.

For proper context: The Nuggets play at a 99.3-possession pace so far this season. Over an entire game at such a rate with Jokić, Denver would score roughly 113 points. During matchup at that pace without the three-time MVP, the Nuggets would finish with 60 points … in the modern NBA! They wouldn’t even be going against the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons! Dear Nuggets, please get our friend Jokić some help before he retires to raise horses in Serbia.

About Last Night

Paolo Banchero goes for 50; Lakers finally lose

Leave it to Magic star Paolo Banchero to give us our first 50-point game of the season. His 37-point first half tied Tracy McGrady’s team record before he closed out the Pacers with a nine-point fourth quarter. Orlando won 119-115. Banchero actually left points on the table by going 15 of 22 from the free-throw line, but he made up for it with 13 boards and nine dimes. This was the seventh 50-point game in Magic history, as Banchero joined McGrady (four times), Shaquille O’Neal and Nick Anderson.

Josh Robbins, The Athletic staff and I have more for you on Paolo’s big night!

Suns 109 (3-1), Lakers 105 (3-1): LeBron James (11 points) barely reached double digits to extend his streak with 10 or more points to 1,226 consecutive games. But Kevin Durant dropped a game-high 30 as Devin Booker added 33 to give JJ Redick his first coaching loss.

Cavaliers 110 (4-0), Knicks 104 (1-2): Darius Garland had 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to close out the Knicks at MSG.

Heat 106 (2-1), Pistons 98 (0-4): Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Pistons collapsed in the fourth quarter and lost.

Mavericks 110 (2-1), Jazz 102 (0-3): This was an ugly game overall, but Kyrie Irving had 23 points and nine assists.

Rockets 106 (2-2), Spurs 101 (1-2): Jalen Green torched San Antonio for a season-high 36 points. Victor Wembanyama had an off night with 14 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. He is the youngest player in NBA history to reach those marks in a game (83 instances).

Wizards 121 (1-2), Hawks 119 (2-): The Hawks started out great in their first three games before losing to the Wizards at home. Never trust the Hawks.

Bulls 126 (2-2), Grizzlies 123 (2-2): The Bulls look great, but please let me direct you to Marcus Smart’s start to the season. Last night, he shot 0 of 11 and missed all eight of his 3-point attempts, which means he’s shooting 23.5 percent overall (8 of 34) and 16.7 (3 of 18) percent from deep.

Kings 111 (1-2), Blazers 98 (1-3): DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox put this one away early. By the way, Scoot Henderson looked good off the bench (18 points, five assists). 👀

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(Top photo: David L. Nemec  / Getty Images )

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