For months, the Bucks have been attempting to establish themselves as a credible statewide franchise, one with fans not just in Milwaukee, but also around Wisconsin—in places like Madison.
Over the summer, the Bucks ownership group spent plenty of time in the capital city as they pushed legislation for the building of a new arena in Milwaukee. In mid-September, players participated in a statewide tour to 11 cities around Wisconsin including Madison. After the bill was signed, the Bucks returned to Madison for training camp in late September.
And on Tuesday night, the Bucks were in Madison once more—almost 100 miles west of their home city of Milwaukee—but this time, they were playing as the home team in a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Bucks last played a preseason game at the Kohl Center in 1999, but the importance of being in Madison was not lost by head coach Jason Kidd.
“Our job as brand is to not just be a Milwaukee team,” Kidd said. “We want to be a state team.”
So in front of a crowd of over 12,000, the Bucks put on a show beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-88. Led by 17 points from Khris Middleton, 15 points and 12 rebounds from newly-acquired Greg Monroe, and a 35-point third quarter, the Bucks turned a two-point halftime lead into a 16-point victory. Attendance for Tuesday night’s game in Madison equaled the Bucks attendance from both of their games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, and the players praised the atmosphere.
“Madison was great,” John Henson said. “It was a good crowd, an energetic crowd. It was fun.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo perhaps did more than any other player to get the crowd on their feet with two dazzling dunks and a spectacular block of Shabazz Muhammad.
“I was having fun and my teammates were having fun. [My plays] got the crowd into it and I saw the crowd was having fun,” Antetokounmpo said. “The fans here in the Kohl Center were great, we had fun, everybody had fun and we could feel it in the atmosphere.” Antetokounmpo finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds, and also added an assist, a steal, and two blocks.
As for the Bucks next trip to Madison, Kidd did not rule out the possibility of a Bucks return: “Hopefully we can come back next training camp so that it can be a tradition here.”
The Bucks improved to 2-3 and will close out their preseason schedule on Friday in Minnesota before they open the regular season at home against the New York Knicks on Oct. 28th.