It is very rare for the Milwaukee Bucks to play a game where they’re overmatched from the start. That is exactly what happened on Sunday night. Phoenix Suns buried Milwaukee early on and the hill was too steep to come back. Bucks lost their second straight game and their third game in the last five. Milwaukee did not have Giannis Antetokounmpo in this one, but that hasn’t been a problem for them in the past. Actually, this is the first game that Milwaukee lost without Giannis this season.

Player of the Game: Khris Middleton – After his slow start, Middleton got hot afterward. He scored 39 points with 20 in the first half. He made half of his shots and most of his misses came from beyond the three-point arc. Good for Middleton for saying the team has a ‘lack of urgency’ early on in this one. That is leadership from Middleton. He took over though which is important with Antetokounmpo being out with an injury.

Honorable Mention: Donte DiVencenzo – While Eric Bledsoe had a great night, Donte continues his hot streak. He scored 16 points with seven rebounds and four assists. DiVencenzo made seven of his eleven shots. In a surprise to no one, DiVencenzo made things happen on both ends of the court. There is a case to be made that he should be in the starting lineup with Giannis out compared to Ersan Ilyasova.

One Thing I Don’t Like: No more Ersan starting lineups, please – Mike Budenholzer cannot keep trotting out Ersan Ilyasova. Marvin Williams or DiVencenzo would be the simple answer for the starting lineup compared to Ilyasova. Williams might be the nod against Denver considering their size inside tomorrow. Ersan played 15 minutes and did not do a damn thing. It is unclear why Ilyasova fell off a cliff, but he has this season with no sign of coming back.

Next up: Milwaukee finishes up their road trip in Denver tonight. Nuggets could not miss the last time they played Milwaukee. I’ll say this about Denver though, they take opponents lightly. Denver lost to Cleveland and nearly lost to Charlotte in the last few games. Don’t be surprised if this is a close game tonight.

Charlie.