On Monday night, the Milwaukee Bucks decided to rest several key players. The starting lineup for the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was Andre Jackson Jr., Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, Chris Livingston, and Tauren Prince.
This was a lineup that would be put out in a preseason game. The Bucks lost the game against the Thunder by a final score of 125-96. With the win, the Thunder improved to 39-9 on the season and the Bucks dropped to 26-22.
Milwaukee Bucks Fans Want Young Players To Play More Moving Forward Despite Loss Against the Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite the Bucks getting blown out against the Thunder, Milwaukee fans were pleased with what they saw from the young players. Five guys scored in double figures for the Milwaukee Bucks, but A.J. Johnson and Tyler Smith were the two players that caught attention.
They both were drafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. Johnson scored 13 points on 41.7 percent shooting from the field. He also grabbed four rebounds, recorded four assists, and recorded one steal. Tyler Smith scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, recorded three assists, and recorded two steals. This is what Bucks fans had to say:
Young Bucks have potential.
— Sarah ⌚️🦌 (@soccer_3_mom) February 4, 2025
Good game for the young guys.
— Steve Kilei (@SMNXT) February 4, 2025
This game doesn’t count but good showing for the young guys
— Sam (@0n_sam) February 4, 2025
Play Aj Johnson & Tyler smith more yall dead getting me mad
— Momo (@hurshh_) February 4, 2025
How about “ resting “ the entire team, next game? Grab 10 guys out of the stands! Couldn’t possibly be any worse than the garbage, we’ve been seeing the whole season! THE MILWAUKEE SUCKS!!
— Joe Kosobucki (@KosobuckiJoe) February 4, 2025
It is funny that the Milwaukee Bucks fanbase wants to see head coach Doc Rivers play AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith more often now. This is the same fanbase that criticized general manager Jon Horst for drafting both Johnson and Smith this summer. If Johnson has something in the future, many fans will owe Horst an apology.
Gary Trent Jr. and Andre Jackson Jr. each scored 10 points. Ryan Rollins led the Milwaukee Bucks in scoring with 16 points.
Injury Report From Monday
The Milwaukee Bucks had five players out on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, and Damian Lillard were all out due to “injury”. It will be interesting to see if Lopez, Portis, and Middleton will still be with the team by Thursday.
Pat Connaughton and MarJon Beauchamp could also be traded by the trade deadline. It will be interesting to see what general manager Jon Horst decides to do. Maybe the reason why they were out is because so the Bucks could evaluate some of these young players ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
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