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The Milwaukee Bucks are facing early headaches as the NBA’s 2025–26 schedule has led to frustration, with veteran forward Bobby Portis speaking out.
For the second straight year, the Bucks have been left off the league’s Christmas Day slate and season opener, and to make matters worse, they will not be home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The Bucks' holiday stretch is especially taxing. Around Thanksgiving, the Bucks will be on the road against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, November 26, followed by a matchup with the New York Knicks on Friday, November 28.
Over Christmas, the team embarks on a five-game road trip, with games at Indiana on December 23 and at Memphis on December 26. The absence of a Christmas Day game breaks a six-season streak in which the Bucks were regular holiday headliners.
“Just checked the schedule. Boys not home for thanksgiving or Christmas? Nasty work,” Portis wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Many fans sided with him, with some speculating on deeper issues in Milwaukee, including ongoing rumors about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long-term future with the team.
The Bucks’ holiday road grind comes during an already demanding 82-game NBA season, where long road trips and back-to-back games take a toll. Although Milwaukee will appear in 18 nationally televised games, ranked 13th among all teams, this is nine fewer than last season, a drop likely tied to the departures of Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez. The team replaced Lopez by signing Myles Turner from Indiana, but Lillard’s exit leaves Antetokounmpo as the lone marquee star.
Nevertheless, the Bucks’ early schedule offers an opportunity to build momentum. Milwaukee opens the season at home against the Washington Wizards on October 22 in a Khris Middleton reunion, followed by a matchup with the Toronto Raptors.
Over half of their first 13 games are against non-playoff teams, including a contest versus an Indiana Pacers squad without Tyrese Haliburton. This softer start could be crucial ahead of a demanding winter stretch that includes nine nationally televised games in January.
Portis, who signed a three-year, $44 million contract extension this offseason with a player option for the final year, remains an essential contributor.
Last season, he averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, shooting 50.8% from the field and 36.5% from three-point range. A vital piece of Milwaukee’s 2021 championship run, he continues to bring scoring punch and energy off the bench.
While the Bucks look to re-establish themselves as contenders in an open Eastern Conference, the scheduling decisions leave Portis and his teammates facing both competitive and personal challenges.
