The Bucks have lost two games in a row after an opening night win at Philadelphia.

It’s safe to say this wasn’t the start to the season Doc Rivers wanted for the Milwaukee Bucks.

After a 115-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, the Bucks have started the season with a 1-2 record. So it’s fair to ask: What’s going on with the Bucks?

This isn’t the first time the Bucks have struggled in recent years. They have been eliminated in the first round in the last two play-offs and have ultimately struggled to repeat the title-winning season of 2020-2021. While major injuries have been a major factor, it’s safe to say it’s been a rough stretch for Milwaukee. However, the Bucks open the 2024-25 season at relatively full strength (minus Khris Middleton) and are following a full offseason under coach Doc Rivers. Yet they still post disappointing results, even if three games are not enough to draw valuable conclusions.

The Bucks struggled defensively in the 133-122 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday, allowing them to shoot 47.9% from the field and a whopping 44.7% from beyond the arc on 47 attempts. They improved defensively on Sunday, limiting the Nets to “only” 115 points. This time, however, the offensive execution was lacking. The Bucks shot just 30.3% from three-point range, and in today’s NBA, you simply can’t win if you shoot the ball that poorly from deep.

Maybe it’s a combination of factors at specific times, but the offensive stats show that the Bucks haven’t been as bad as their 1-2 record suggests. The Bucks rank sixth in the league in true shooting percentage (120.7 percent), fourth in overall field goal percentage (49.4) and fifth in effective field goal percentage (57.3). They also rank ninth in opponent shooting percentage (44.2) and 12th in opponent effective field goal percentage (52.1). They haven’t been sad by any means, and it seems like they need to tweak a few things here and there to get back to winning ways.

Unfortunately for the Bucksthey will face another title contender, the Boston Celtics, next Monday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV). The Celtics are undefeated in three games and are destroying the opposition, averaging 16.3 points per win – including a narrow 124-118 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. This will be the perfect time for the Bucks to bounce back from two disappointing losses, as showing they can compete with the Celtics should help them get things back on track, regardless of whether they win a third straight game win or drop.

It’s still early in the season, so there’s no reason to hit the panic button yet. However, Monday’s game in Boston is already an important game for the Bucks. This is the time when they need to show that they can still be considered a contending team in the Eastern Conference. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will need to be at their best to match a star-studded Boston team, as a 1-3 start isn’t something the Bucks were hoping for when the 2024-2025 regular season began.