NBA Power Rankings Week 5: How good are the Utah Jazz?

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz in action during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 21, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

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89. . 9-6. Previous: 3rd. Milwaukee Bucks. 6. team

Last Week: Lost to Brooklyn Nets 125-123, Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 113-106, 1/22 vs. Washington Wizards (POSTPONED)

This Week: 1/24 vs. Atlanta Hawks, 1/27 at Toronto Raptors, 1/29 at New Orleans Pelicans, 1/30 at Charlotte Hornets

If you had doubts about the Milwaukee Bucks coming into the season, weeks like this are not going to make you feel any different. The Bucks went up against two of the teams they are compared to most in the league and walked away from both games with a loss.

The tilt against the Brooklyn Nets was without Kyrie Irving and was essentially a defense-optional shootout. Milwaukee happened to blink first, with shots in the waning minutes just not going their way.

The big three for the Bucks were impressive against the defending champions, but the rest of the supporting class left much to be desired. Coach Mike Budenholzer refused to break from his scheme and put the Defensive Player of the Year on LeBron James and the King made him pay.

James led all scorers with 34 points and chipped in eight assists, six rebounds, a block and a steal. This is all to say something similar to what most Bucks fans will tell you if you asked them today: it does not matter for now. Just like their wins do not matter until the postseason, losing to the Nets and Lakers by a combined nine points will be forgotten in a week or so. But for now, it is enough to cause the Bucks to slide ever so slightly.