What’s different about Giannis Antetokounmpo situation this offseason?
What’s different about the Giannis Antetokounmpo situation this offseason? Jim Owczarski discusses next moves for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks will open their 2025-26 season at home against Khris Middleton and the Washington Wizards on Oct. 22.The Bucks have a five-game homestand from March 2-10 and a five-game road trip from Dec. 21-29.The Bucks will play only 13 nationally televised games, a significant decrease from previous seasons.
The Milwaukee Bucks announced their 2025-26 regular season schedule on Aug. 14.
Here are the highlights.
When is the Bucks’ home opener?
The season begins at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Fiserv Forum with one of the more anticipated opponents of the year in the Washington Wizards – also known as Khris Middleton’s homecoming game.
Middleton was traded on Feb. 7 and his first game in a Washington uniform came against his former team Feb. 21 after the all-star break. But his return to Milwaukee, where he spent 12 seasons and became the franchise’s third-greatest player, will be an emotional affair to begin the season.
Middleton left the Bucks as a champion, Olympic gold medalist, three-time all-star, the franchise leader in 3-pointers made and attempted, No. 2 in games and minutes played, No. 3 in scoring behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Giannis Antetokounmpo, No. 3 in assists and No. 5 in steals.
What is the longest home stand for the Bucks in 2025-26?
Five games from March 2-10.
The Bucks will host Boston (March 2), Atlanta (March 4), Utah (March 7), Orlando (March 8) and Phoenix (March 10).
What is the Bucks’ longest road trip?
Five games from Dec. 21-29.
Milwaukee will have a rare Midwest-based long road trip by traveling to Minnesota (Dec. 21), Indiana (Dec. 23), Memphis (Dec. 26), Chicago (Dec. 27) and Charlotte (Dec. 29)
How many back-to-backs will the Bucks play?
14
Thanks to the NBA Cup schedule in October and November, back-to-backs have been on the rise the last couple of seasons but this is two fewer than a year ago. The team played 14 back-to-backs in 2023-24.
Bucks will not play on Christmas Day
For the second straight year the NBA deemed the Bucks unworthy of a premier broadcast slot on its marquee holiday slate of games. The Bucks did not play on Christmas Day in 2024, which snapped a streak of six straight games on the NBA’s marquee day.
When is former Buck Brook Lopez’s return to Milwaukee?
2:30 p.m. March 29
The 37-year-old California native signed with the Los Angeles Clippers to be a backup on the league’s oldest team, but he spent seven memorable years in Milwaukee from 2018-25 that included the 2021 championship and 2024 NBA Cup title, posting the league’s best record in 2019, 2020 and 2023, and a runner-up defensive player of the year finish in 2023.
When is new Buck Myles Turner’s first game back at Indiana?
6:30 p.m. Nov. 3
The Bucks swiftly and deftly signed Turner away from their biggest rival – the defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers – in the offseason. Turner spent 10 years in Indiana and was a big part of the franchise’s turnaround and was well-liked by the fan base. It should be an emotional return for the center – on top of the now-typical Bucks-Pacers tensions.
When do the Bucks play the Trail Blazers in Portland?
9 p.m. March 25
It’s likely Damian Lillard will not travel to Milwaukee on Nov. 24 as he continues to rehabilitate from a torn Achilles tendon, but it stands to reason he’ll be on the Trail Blazers’ bench to watch teammate Jrue Holiday take on the Bucks at the Moda Center in March.
The Bucks waived Lillard in the offseason to create cap space to sign Turner. In 2023, Milwaukee traded Holiday to Portland to acquire Lillard (Holiday never played for Portland that time, instead being traded to Boston, where he won another championship).
What is the NBA Cup schedule?
The defending NBA Cup champions will play in East Group C, which includes New York, Chicago, Miami and Charlotte.
The Bucks will host the Bulls (7 p.m. Nov. 7) and Hornets (7 p.m. Nov. 14) and face the Heat (6:30 p.m. Nov. 26) and Knicks (6:30 p.m. Nov. 28) on the road.
The quarterfinals will be held Dec. 9-10 and then the venue shifts to Las Vegas for the semifinals Dec. 13 and the final Dec. 16.
In two years of in-season tournament competition, the Bucks are 8-0 in pool play and 4-1 in “knockout” play. They beat New York in the 2023 quarterfinals before losing to Indiana in Las Vegas in the semifinals. In 2024 they beat Orlando in the quarterfinals, Atlanta in the semifinals and eventual league champion Oklahoma City in the NBA Cup final.
When will the Bucks be on national TV?
The Bucks play just 13 games on national platforms across ABC, ESPN and NBC and Peacock and five more on the Amazon Prime streaming service.
They had 26 nationally televised games last season and 28 in 2023-24.
Here are the games in which the Bucks will appear on national outlets*:
Oct. 28 vs. New York (NBC, 7 p.m.)
Nov. 17 at Cleveland (Peacock, 7 p.m.)
Nov. 28 at New York (Prime Video, 7:30 p.m.)
Jan. 7 at Golden State (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Jan. 13 vs. Minnesota (NBC, 7 p.m.)
Jan. 19 at Atlanta (Peacock, 1 p.m.)
Jan. 21 vs. Oklahoma City (ESPN, 8:30 p.m.)
Jan. 27 at Philadelphia (NBC, 8 p.m.)
Jan. 29 at Washington (Prime Video, 7 p.m.)
Feb. 1 at Boston (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.)
Feb. 9 at Orlando (Peacock, 7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 12 at Oklahoma City (Prime Video, 6:30 p.m.)
March 2 vs. Boston (Peacock, 6:30 p.m.)
March 4 vs. Atlanta (ESPN, 8:30 p.m.)
March 14 at Atlanta (Prime Video, 3 p.m.)
March 17 vs. Cleveland (NBC, 7 p.m.)
March 28 vs. San Antonio (Prime Video, 2 p.m.)
April 8 at Detroit (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)* All NBC games will be simulcast on Peacock and all ABC and ESPN games will be simulcast on ESPN DTC (direct to consumer).For additional clarity, here is how to find games on the NBA’s new media partners:Monday: Peacock
Tuesday: NBC/Peacock
Wednesday: ESPN
Friday: Prime VideoAdditional weekly national games will be broadcast mid-season:Thursday: Prime Video
Saturday: ABC/ESPN/Prime Video
Sunday: ABC/ESPN/NBC
Bucks-Packers crossover dates
Oct. 26: Bucks at Cleveland (6 p.m.), Packers at Pittsburgh (7:20 p.m.)
Nov. 10: Bucks at Dallas (7:30 p.m.), Packers at Philadelphia (7:15 p.m.)
Dec. 14: Bucks TBD due to NBA Cup, Packers at Denver (3:25 p.m.)
Jan. 4: Bucks at Sacramento (8 p.m.), Packers at Minnesota (noon)