Kyle Kuzma had his best performance (so far) in his 2026-27 NBA campaign on Sunday, but it came during the Milwaukee Bucks‘ 117-97 loss to the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum. The one-time champion tallied 27 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and six three-pointers on 10-for-17 shooting from the field in 31 minutes.
In his postgame media availability, Kuzma was brutally honest about their performance, as the Milwaukee Bucks now have the Eastern Conference’s worst record at 1-9.
Kyle Kuzma’s hot start not enough for the Milwaukee Bucks
Fresh from his 13-point effort against the Toronto Raptors, Kyle Kuzma came out hot out of the gates against the Boston Celtics, scoring 14 points in the first five minutes of the game to give the Bucks a 20-6 lead before Jayson Tatum and Paul George sparked an 18-0 run that enabled Boston to build an unassailable lead.
“I just think we’re like, consistently inconsistent in how we approach the game right now,” Kuzma said. “Sometimes you might not have a good first. I think the third and the fourth were kind of good basketball, but they’re a great team, they’re gonna hit threes. That’s what they do, that’s what they want to do, and we just need to kind of weather that storm right now. It’s not going to get easier.”
Paul George’s early flurry killed the Milwaukee Bucks
As noted, the Boston Celtics, led by Paul George and Jayson Tatum, went on a blistering run to seize control of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half. With the game at 27-25 after the first quarter, George gave Boston the lead for good with several three-pointers off offensive rebounds that ruined Milwaukee’s momentum.
“We just didn’t do a good enough job,” Kuzma lamented. “Obviously they’re great players; they’re gonna hit shots. They’ve hit millions of shots since being in the league, obviously. But we gotta do a little bit better. Our attention to detail. Certain things: PG coming off pick-and-rolls, shooting it, nobody necessarily there to contest. You’re going to live and die by that. Especially if he’s hitting, you’re probably gonna die.”