The Milwaukee Bucks entered Monday’s action with a 25-11 record and in second place in the Eastern Conference standings. While they had been one of the best teams in the NBA to start the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo and company had lost three of their first four games of the 2024 calendar year, and had slipped all the way down to 3.5 games back of the Celtics to start the second week of January.

NBA: Bucks Lose To Jazz In 8.5-Point Upset

The Bucks have now lost 4 of their last 5 games. pic.twitter.com/kh0F11ZiAs

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 9, 2024

They had a golden opportunity to turn things around on Monday night. The Utah Jazz came into the game with a 17-20 record and in 11th place in the West, and were listed as an 8.5 point underdog for their date in Milwaukee.

But Utah was able to overcome their status as an underdog, and essentially dominated the Bucks throughout the entire contest. The Jazz jumped out to a commanding 41-23 lead after the first quarter, and were leading by 31 points by halftime. The Bucks were able to close some of the gap during the third quarter, but the game ended in a 132-116 win for Utah.

The loss to a lesser NBA opponent is of course tough for Milwaukee, but they blew a golden opportunity to close the gap between them and Boston in the standings. The Celtics took on the Pacers for the second straight time on Monday night, but came up short, losing by a score of 133-131.

Milwaukee Blew A Chance To Close The Gap

Bucks down 31 to the Jazz. pic.twitter.com/ia1UbXDwlW

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 9, 2024

Had the Bucks been able to take care of business, they would have closed the gap to 2.5 games. To make matters even worse, the lead could have been shortened even further in the coming days, as the next game that Milwaukee will play will be a home contest against Boston on Thursday.

The Celtics will take on the Timberwolves between now and then, putting them through one of the tougher stretches of schedule that we have seen so far this NBA season following a double dip against Indiana. It would have been the perfect time for the Bucks to capitalize, but they’ve hit a cold streak during one of the worst possible stretches.

The schedule for the Bucks won’t let up for another week, as the always-dangerous Steph Curry comes to town, followed by a date with the Kings. Of their following five games, three are against the Cavaliers and two against the Pistons.