The Milwaukee Bucks’ troubles came to the forefront amidst a brief resurgence of sorts. Even with most of the Denver Nuggets’ stars out, Giannis Antetokounmpo was left to single-handedly find a way for the Bucks. The team couldn’t conjure a strong performance besides Antetokounmpo. Even promising guard Ryan Rollins saw his 37-game double-digit scoring streak come to an end. As sad as that was, the Bucks’ celebration of the young guard’s milestone upset one of their franchise legends.

Ryan Rollins had quietly put together one of the more impressive scoring runs in recent Milwaukee Bucks history. His streak ranked as the fourth longest by a Bucks player since the 2021 22 season and stood among the top five active double-digit scoring stretches in the NBA. That context, however, appeared to be overlooked by Bucks legend Marques Johnson.

Having played seven seasons for the Bucks and even acting as their announcer, Johnson took to Twitter to call out the Bucks for failing to recognize history.

“I guess my streak of 142 straight double-figure games for @bucks doesn’t count as team history. Didn’t happen in the modern era, was against a bunch of plumbers and electricians like Dr. J, Dominique, Larry, and the rest,” Johnson wrote on X.

Marques even jokingly stated Larry Bird “was a cable guy”, feeling disrespected by the Bucks not acknowledging his role with the franchise.

The Bucks TV analyst was an incredible forward, averaging 21 points throughout his Bucks tenure. However, the five-time All-Star completely overlooked the timeline for the record mentioned. Surely, it must have been a mistake. The last thing Johnson would want to do is intentionally put another talent down.

Rollins, after barely getting any minutes over his first three years, is experiencing a breakout. The 23-year-old is the third-highest scorer for the Bucks, averaging a career-high 16.6 points this season. He and Kevin Porter Jr. form a disruptive backcourt that has rejuvenated the Bucks, especially since Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return from injury.

It’s a shame that tonight, neither of them could really have an impact.

The Bucks failed, but Doc Rivers sees improvements

Having won six of their last nine games, the Bucks were expected to beat a Nuggets team without Jokic and Jamal Murray. Maybe the absences got to their heads because their first-half performance screamed of a relaxed team. Particularly, their defensive engagement was fully absent today.

The Nuggets scored 62 of their 108 points in the first half. Neither team could force turnovers. Denver also created a sizeable disparity with their free throws, making 10 more than the Bucks for the whole game. Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 25-point burst off the bench turned out to be a key difference-maker.

The Bucks’ answer only came through Giannis Antetokounmpo. Myles Turner could have had a huge night, but he was limited due to a lingering illness. Ryan Rollins and Porter Jr. only combined for 12 points. The lack of support left too much for Milwaukee to do in the final quarter.

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It wasn’t an effort that head coach Doc Rivers was pleased with. He’s still unsure about his rotations. However, the Bucks have still shown vast improvements over the last 10 games. “We’re just playing better,” said Rivers.

The Bucks’ defensive strides have seen the team make some progress in finding consistent ways to win games. They are allowing the seventh-fewest points per game over a 10-game stretch. Their scoring could use a surge, recording barely 112 points over the same time span. But they look much better than when they had a seven-game losing streak in November.

The loss against the Nuggets could have been avoided. Giannis Antetokounmpo will continue to demand more from his teammates following the loss. A silver lining, though, is that the team seems to be responding to his leadership and is keen on turning the season around.