Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green shoots past Milwaukee Bucks’ Brook Lopez during the first half at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee on Tue Dec 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors got off to a rocky start on their six-game road trip. They had to face the Milwaukee Bucks, owners of the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks, NBA champions in the 2020-2021 season, had a height advantage over the small-ball Warriors for the 128-111 win.

The Bucks started seven-foot Brook Lopez and 6’11 Giannis Antetokounmpo in the forecourt. The tallest player in the Warrior lineup was Kevin Looney. Looney is 6’9 and plays hard, but the taller players in the Buck lineup caused problems for the Warriors all night. 

The Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins missed his fourth consecutive game with an adductor strain in his groin. The Warriors started Jordan Poole in his place. The Warriors scored the first seven points of the game. The Warriors were leading 11-7 when Milwaukee went on a 20-5 run to go ahead 27-16. The Warriors never came close to regaining the lead. The Bucks finished the first quarter leading 38-27.

The Bucks’ defense bottled up the Warriors offense in the second quarter. The Warriors only saving grace was the large number of threes they made. They made 11 but could not score in the paint. Milwaukee made three threes in the first half. They led at the end of the first half 64-52.

The Warriors could not stop Giannis when he drove to the basket. The Bucks’ Bobby Portis, Jr., coming off the bench, knocked down 14 points. Milwaukee shot 57% from the floor. The Warriors measly 38.5%

The Bucks continued to play well in the second half. The Warriors could not pierce the Bucks’ defense. Milwaukee increased the lead at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors won the fourth quarter 34-33, but it was not enough.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors are now 14-14 for the year. The Bucks are 20-7. Only Boston has a better record. The Celtics beat the Lakers in LA Tuesday night to improve to 22-7.

The Bucks held Stephen Curry to 20 points. Curry made three threes. Jonathan Kuminga was second with 19 points. Kuminga also had three threes. Poole had 18, and Klay Thompson had 14. Jonathan Lamb had eight, and Patrick Baldwin, recalled from Santa Cruz, knocked down two threes

Giannis, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, and Portis, Jr. were the Milwaukee players in double figures. The Bucks outrebounded the Warriors 62-42. The Bucks had 48 points in the paint and held the Warriors to 30.

One of the game’s oddities was that the Warriors went to the free throw line just once in the first half. They made just one of the free throws. The Bucks had 13 and made 11. Things evened out a bit in the second half. 

The Warriors didn’t help their cause, as they committed 18 turnovers. The Warriors were tagged for six technical fouls. The Bucks had four. Ten technical fouls indicate a lot of dissatisfaction with the calls made by the referees.

The Warriors play the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night in Indianapolis. The road trip then goes to Toronto, Philadelphia, New York, and Brooklyn.