No roster move, injury or trade news has touched the Bucks since Wednesday's 132-100 loss to Houston, and the power rankings dropped them from 22nd to 26th. Cleveland, 3-2 and holding sixth, comes in Saturday two games better than Milwaukee.
Opening week
The season opened with three losses: 116-128 at Washington, 125-132 to Chicago and 116-127 at Philadelphia. Herro and Jaquez carried the scoring, and Herro's 34 against the Bulls was the high mark. Kel'el Ware added 19 and 13 boards in Philadelphia. The defense gave up at least 127 every night.
October 26
The first win came against Indiana, 110-102, the club that ended Milwaukee's last two playoff runs in the first round. Herro had 23 points and 10 boards, and Ryan Rollins scored 19. Myles Turner, signed away from the Pacers this summer, now plays on the other side of that history.
October 28
Houston, now 5-0, won 132-100. Fred VanVleet led all scorers with 24, and Herro had 23. Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had Rollins at 2-for-14 and Turner at 2-for-7 through two and a half quarters. On a team this thin, those nights cannot be absorbed.
This week
Milwaukee sits 13th, a game out of 10th and two out of sixth. Through five games it scores 106.8 points per 100 possessions and allows 117.4, a minus-10.6 gap. At this rate the 1-4 start projects to 16-66. Behind the Buck Pass argued Friday that the Bucks still made the right Giannis trade. The standings are not yet backing that argument.
October 31
Cleveland arrives on the second stop of a road trip, with one day of rest against Milwaukee's two. Donovan Mitchell averages 24.2 points, Evan Mobley 18.2 with 8.8 boards and James Harden 17.4 with 6.2 assists. Meleek Thomas is day-to-day. The open question is whether Turner, at 6.6 points and 18.2 percent from three, can hold his ground against Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
When do the Bucks play the Cavaliers?
Saturday, October 31, in Milwaukee. It is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
Why are the Bucks 1-4?
The defense is allowing 117.4 points per 100 possessions, and the scoring has leaned heavily on Herro and Jaquez. The only win so far came against Indiana, 110-102.
