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Jaime Jaquez Jr. Explains What Went Wrong After Bucks Loss to Rockets
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- Jaime Jaquez Jr. Explains What Went Wrong After Bucks Loss to Rockets
Video courtesy of Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks may have earned their first win of the 2026-27 regular season against the Indiana Pacers, but one win does not a successful team make and the Bucks learned the hard way just how difficult it can be to generate momentum with a new roster after a loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
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The Rockets took down the Bucks 132-100 in a game that began as a hard fought defensive battle in the first quarter, when the Rockets only outscored the Bucks 23-21, before giving way to total Rockets domination the rest of the game that led to the lopsided final result.
Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson combined for 47 points to lead the way for the Rockets while Houston as a whole outshot the Bucks 55% to 40% from the field.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro (11) drives against Houston Rockets guard Fred Vanvleet (5) in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
What Went Wrong
A matchup between the Rockets and the Bucks is an interesting one because it highlights the contrast between a team that rebuilt years ago and has had a chance for a roster to play together for multiple seasons against that is just now undergoing that process.
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The Bucks haven't had the time to build up the chemistry necessary to sustain longterm success and as rewarding as beating the Pacers may have been, that win alone may have set Milwaukee's energy too high to settle back down to play against Houston.
Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green (20), Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Nate Ament (15) battle for possession of the ball in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
That's what Jaime Jaquez Jr. attributed to the loss. He blamed a lack of urgency, aggression and most of all, preparation as to why the Bucks found themselves on the wrong end of a blowout.
"I think today we didn't just come with enough urgency or preparation. That's on us," Jaquez jr. said (via Bucks ). "We've gotta be alert and understand these moments that we're in. We had a great win against Indiana, but gotta understand that that's one game. We've always got another one coming, so just as a team we've just gotta be better prepared."
Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24) block the shot of Houston Rockets center Oscar Tshiebwe (9) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Staying Ready
Generating momentum is hard for any team to do in the NBA, but the first prerequisite to make that happen is to chain several wins together, which the Bucks have thus far failed to do. Now more than ever, the NBA is full of talented teams with a variety of threats and every game requires the same level of importance.
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By Jaquez Jr.'s own admission, the Bucks didn't come into the game with that sense of importance and it now remains to be seen if Wednesday's loss was a painful enough lessen to demand that the team take everything more seriously from now on.
Houston Rockets guard Bogdan Bogdanović dribbles past Milwaukee Bucks guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
This season is, at it's core. a learning experience for the Bucks and losing as badly as they did against the Rockets is if nothing else, something to learn from and build upon for the rest of the season.
