Summer League Game 3 Recap: Bucks 88 Suns 95

The Bucks Lose a Close One in Another Brayden Burries Masterclass

by Aiden Fermaner

14/07/26

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The Bucks lose a close one in their best game of the Summer League. We were slightly shorthanded, missing Kasparas Jakucionis and Cormac Ryan, but we didn't go out without a fight today.

First Quarter

The Bucks started the game off really well, and Brayden Burries picked up right where he left off. He started off the game looking like his usual controlled and composed self, scoring a game-high 8 points in the first quarter. Luke Travers looked pretty good in this first quarter. His stat line doesn't do justice to his impact on the game; he was+8 in this first quarter and only scored 2 points. He had 2 steals and was everywhere on defence. He doesn't need to look for his shot to impact, and he's one of the players who can impact us in this Summer League with winning minutes, which I link to his NBL tenure in Australia, where you need to be able to impact the game in ways other than just scoring.

Second Quarter

Who would've thought we would be writing his name again, but Brayden Burries kept the ball rolling in this quarter, filling the stat sheet with 4 points, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 assist and 4 rebounds. He definitely is looking like the type of player that is too good for Summer League, and I, depending on how our roster looks I will be expecting him to be starting on opening night of the NBA season or at the very least, playing heavy minutes. The Bucks go down 44-45 at the half.

Third Quarter

Nate Ament started the game off slowly. He did hit a good pull-up three, which you like to see, but he still looks like he is learning and growing. Bogoljub Markovic hits 2 threes to open the quarter, and he has quietly hit 4 threes in the game. I'd like to see him keep involving himself in the game more as he gains confidence, because he looks good. I can see him getting some minutes for the Bucks during the NBA season this year, and I'm interested to see how he plays in those minutes and how that helps him progress. Zack Austin did something that I spoke about and really implemented his athleticism on the defensive end. He had 2 steals and 3 really good blocks in this game.

Fourth Quarter

The Suns grab the biggest lead of the game, being 9 at the start of the fourth and put the Bucks in the position of needing to fight back this quarter. Brayden Burries takes over this quarter with 8 points, bringing his total to 23 and adding 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 1 block for the game. The Bucks struggle to defend the three point line in the final minutes of the game and go down by 7 to end the game.

MVP

Again you can't look past Brayden Burries in this one, a super well rounded game and was poised and controlled throughout. He is already looking more and more comfortable each game and I can't wait to see what NBA minutes can do for him.