The Milwaukee Bucks finally snagged their first regular season win last night, beating the Indiana Pacers 110-102. Talk about a breakthrough! This team had been building toward a W, making those frustrating minor mistakes that cost them dearly. But in this game? They flipped the script, applying those lessons and outlasting a Pacers squad that was already hurting, down two starters in Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard, and playing on the second night of a back-to-back. You know who led the charge? Tyler Herro, absolutely going off.
Herro Ignites the Offense When It Mattered Most
Tyler Herro was back to regular programming, and it was glorious to watch. He started a little slow, but man, did he build momentum! Herro finished with a monster stat line: 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in 32 minutes, with only 2 turnovers. He shot 7/14 from the field and drained 3/6 from deep, finishing with a +1. That 11-point third quarter was clutch, arriving exactly when the team desperately needed a spark. Herro made it a point to crash the boards and kickstart the transition offense himself, which is just awesome to see. When he’s aggressive like that, he draws so much attention and just opens up shooters all over the place. Racking up those kinds of stats while keeping turnovers to a minimum was probably the most impressive part of his night. No doubt about it, Herro put on a show. Just a tiny note, though: he spaced out a few times off-ball on some super basic actions, like a simple flare screen for Aaron Nesmith, which left him a bit lost. But honestly, who cares when he’s doing *that* much good?
The Role Players Step Up (Mostly!)
Herro wasn’t the only one making noise. Ryan Rollins keeps building on his game, putting up 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in 31 minutes. He shot a solid 7/14 from the field and went 3/7 from beyond the arc, ending with a +10. I absolutely loved that he never took a backward step to the trash-talking Haliburton; that’s the kind of fire we need! Rollins had a lights-out first half, going 4/7 overall and 3/4 from deep. He tailed off just a bit in the second, but he still made some absolutely key plays late to seal the win.
Then there’s Kyle Kuzma, who had a wild night. Man, this was a funny game for him! Honestly, about 90% of his output was pure gold. He dropped 17 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and had only 2 turnovers, shooting an efficient 6/10 from the field and 4/6 from three. He hit some huge threes to keep the team in it and even nailed the dagger at the end! Plus, he impacted other areas of the game while keeping his turnovers low. But then, you just know it’s coming: those 2-4 plays every single game from Kuzma that make you wanna pull your hair out. Like when he seemingly can’t throw a simple kick-ahead pass to a teammate streaking for a layup. Or, even better, when he ran right into Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Speaking of Jaime Jaquez Jr., this was a real come-down-to-earth game for him. After some good outings, nothing seemed to be working. He finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, shooting 4/13 from the field and 0/4 from three. He wasn’t detrimental to the team, but it just wasn’t his night.
This first win feels huge for the squad. It shows they’re learning from those early mistakes and can close out a game, even against a banged-up opponent. With Herro firing on all cylinders and key guys like Rollins and Kuzma stepping up, even with their quirks, this team can really start to roll. This is the kind of fight and grit that makes you excited for the rest of the season!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Brew Hoop.
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