Summer League Game 1 Recap: Bucks 86 Heat 119

Nate Ament Debuts in a Blowout Loss to the Heat

by Aiden Fermaner

12/07/26

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The Bucks get blown out by the Miami Heat. The first half of this game was a tight contest with some really good points to look at, but unfortunately, that intensity fell off in the second half. Pete Nance and Brayden Burries both looked very impressive in this game.

First Quarter

Brayden Burries started strong, getting to the line on both of his first two attacks and sinking both for all 4 of the Bucks' early points. The Bucks looked undersized in the paint on defence. Our 3-to-5 positions are 6'9-6'11, respectively, so we aren't small by any means, but our frames look too small compared to a bigger player like Vladislav Goldin, who exploited that during the game. Once NBA games roll around, it can be as simple as adding in the experienced rim protection of Myles Turner to back up these younger players who are still learning. Nate Ament gets an early dunk over the aforementioned Vladislav Goldin, which shows how the size and frames aren't such a problem offensively compared to defensively. This was even a problem against the Kings in the last game, with Dylan Cardwell being 255lbs and pulling in 12 rebounds for the game, and it looked like we had no answer for him on the boards. Kasparas Jakucionis looked good as a lead guard handling the ball, and he was really enjoying the pick and roll with Bogoljub Markovic, so I'm looking forward to seeing plenty more of that during the Summer League and more into the NBA season. Cormac Ryan pulls in 2 good blocks in the first quarter, and we close out the quarter up 31-26.

Second Quarter

Brayden Burries comes out hot this quarter and continues to attack the paint, hitting a tough layup and a soft floater over the defence. Pete Nance starts pushing an agenda from 3-point range, pulling 3 straight threes and cashing in on 2 of them. Brayden Burries continues his hot run, going coast to coast and getting an and-1 at the other end, and later hitting a three to add to his total, and Pete Nance follows suit, hitting another one. Brayden Burries has 10 points for the quarter, and Pete Nance finishes the quarter with 11, and we go into the half tied 56-56.

Third Quarter

The third quarter was not a bright one for us, the Bucks put up 7 points to the Heat's 29, and they went on a 19-0 run in the last minutes of the quarter to basically seal this game away. I'm hopeful that this quarter was simply a matter of them being fatigued and not having their rotations sorted out because we were exploited in this quarter after a really good first half, going down 63-85.

Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter was better, but still followed suit as we lost 23-34. Kasparas Jakucionis looked good with 6 points and 1 assist this quarter to bring his totals for the game to 11 points and 6 assists. He struggled inside the arc and only scored from threes and free throws. It will be good to see him add some new looks to his game as he develops from the mid-range and inside the paint, but his three-point shooting looks promising, and he looks like a good passer. We finished the game losing 86-119.

MVP

Pete Nance and Brayden Burries were the stars for this game, and it showed on the stat sheet, so this MVP award for the game will go to Brayden Burries. He looked like he had control of the game for all of the first half and highlighted exactly why he was picked so highly in the draft. I think any Bucks fan who watched this game would be very excited at what they saw. They'll also be happy to know Pete Nance has signed on a two-year, non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks.