The 2002-03 Milwaukee Bucks finished the NBA season with a 42-40 record, securing the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. Under head coach George Karl, the team sought to make an impact despite trading star player Ray Allen mid-season to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. The Bucks aimed to rebuild while remaining competitive.
Michael Redd emerged as a key player, showcasing his scoring prowess. The Bucks’ season ended in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the New Jersey Nets in six games. This marked another year of playoff disappointment, as the team struggled to advance past the initial stages. The season was characterized by transition, with the team seeking to balance short-term success with long-term restructuring.
- Regular Season Record: 42-40
- Playoff Result: Eastern Conference First Round: 2-4
Milwaukee Bucks Roster and Stats for 2002-03 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Ray Allen | 47 | 21.3 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 39.5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Sam Cassell | 78 | 19.7 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 36.2 | 6 | 17.2 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 52.4 |
| Gary Payton | 28 | 19.6 | 3.1 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 29.4 | 6 | 18.5 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 6.7 |
| Michael Redd | 82 | 15.1 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 43.7 | 6 | 9.7 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 25.0 |
| Desmond Mason | 28 | 14.8 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 29.4 | 6 | 13.0 | 7.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Tim Thomas | 80 | 13.3 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 36.6 | 6 | 17.8 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 57.1 |
| Toni Kukoč | 63 | 11.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 36.1 | 6 | 14.8 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 37.9 |
| Anthony Mason | 65 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 6 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Jason Caffey | 51 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Kevin Ollie | 53 | 5.7 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 20.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Marcus Haislip | 39 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 25.0 | 2 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Dan Gadzuric | 49 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ervin Johnson | 69 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 6 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| Ronald Murray | 12 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Joel Przybilla | 32 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 4 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Jamal Sampson | 5 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Milwaukee Bucks in the 2003 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. New Jersey Nets
In the 2003 NBA Playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks faced the New Jersey Nets in the first round. Despite a valiant effort, the Bucks were overpowered by the Nets' dynamic duo of Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, losing the series 4-2. Milwaukee's offensive prowess, led by Sam Cassell and Michael Redd, kept the games competitive, but ultimately, the Nets' depth and experience proved too much to overcome.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2003 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 109-96 | |
| Apr 22, 2003 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 88-85 | |
| Apr 24, 2003 | vs. New Jersey Nets | L 103-101 | |
| Apr 26, 2003 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 119-114 | |
| Apr 29, 2003 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 89-82 | |
| May 01, 2003 | vs. New Jersey Nets | L 113-101 |
Milwaukee Bucks 2002-03 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 2002-03 season for the Milwaukee Bucks.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2002 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 95-93 | |
| Nov 02, 2002 | vs. Orlando Magic | L 100-90 | |
| Nov 04, 2002 | @ New York Knicks | W 97-88 | |
| Nov 06, 2002 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 99-93 | |
| Nov 07, 2002 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | L 114-110 | |
| Nov 09, 2002 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 110-105 | |
| Nov 13, 2002 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 108-101 | |
| Nov 15, 2002 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 103-100 | |
| Nov 16, 2002 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 104-85 | |
| Nov 19, 2002 | vs. Miami Heat | L 97-93 | |
| Nov 22, 2002 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 95-91 | |
| Nov 24, 2002 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 111-99 | |
| Nov 25, 2002 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 86-81 | |
| Nov 27, 2002 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 112-80 | |
| Nov 29, 2002 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 96-91 | |
| Nov 30, 2002 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 109-86 | |
| Dec 03, 2002 | @ Washington Wizards | L 103-78 | |
| Dec 05, 2002 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 98-80 | |
| Dec 07, 2002 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | L 94-88 | |
| Dec 09, 2002 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 140-133 | |
| Dec 11, 2002 | vs. Indiana Pacers | L 126-119 | |
| Dec 13, 2002 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 101-79 | |
| Dec 14, 2002 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 97-95 | |
| Dec 17, 2002 | vs. Toronto Raptors | L 122-117 | |
| Dec 20, 2002 | @ Memphis Grizzlies | L 95-84 | |
| Dec 21, 2002 | vs. New York Knicks | W 94-90 | |
| Dec 23, 2002 | @ Orlando Magic | W 108-103 | |
| Dec 27, 2002 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 110-90 | |
| Dec 28, 2002 | vs. New Jersey Nets | L 104-96 | |
| Dec 30, 2002 | @ Dallas Mavericks | W 110-107 | |
| Dec 31, 2002 | @ Houston Rockets | L 103-80 | |
| Jan 03, 2003 | vs. Utah Jazz | L 118-115 | |
| Jan 06, 2003 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 106-94 | |
| Jan 07, 2003 | vs. Sacramento Kings | L 101-76 | |
| Jan 10, 2003 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 93-85 | |
| Jan 11, 2003 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 89-87 | |
| Jan 14, 2003 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 97-88 | |
| Jan 15, 2003 | @ Toronto Raptors | W 99-87 | |
| Jan 17, 2003 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 99-95 | |
| Jan 18, 2003 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 97-95 | |
| Jan 22, 2003 | @ Boston Celtics | W 106-97 | |
| Jan 25, 2003 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 88-75 | |
| Jan 27, 2003 | @ New Orleans Hornets | W 108-93 | |
| Jan 28, 2003 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 108-81 | |
| Jan 30, 2003 | vs. Washington Wizards | W 97-90 | |
| Feb 01, 2003 | vs. New York Knicks | W 107-100 | |
| Feb 04, 2003 | vs. Toronto Raptors | L 98-95 | |
| Feb 06, 2003 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 97-91 | |
| Feb 12, 2003 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | W 120-114 | |
| Feb 14, 2003 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 96-86 | |
| Feb 16, 2003 | vs. Memphis Grizzlies | L 101-95 | |
| Feb 18, 2003 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 102-93 | |
| Feb 19, 2003 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | L 110-104 | |
| Feb 21, 2003 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 88-58 | |
| Feb 22, 2003 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 93-90 | |
| Feb 24, 2003 | vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | L 117-114 | |
| Feb 26, 2003 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 118-112 | |
| Feb 28, 2003 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 107-98 | |
| Mar 02, 2003 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 120-93 | |
| Mar 04, 2003 | @ Miami Heat | W 100-91 | |
| Mar 05, 2003 | @ Orlando Magic | L 111-99 | |
| Mar 07, 2003 | @ Washington Wizards | W 85-82 | |
| Mar 08, 2003 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 138-133 | |
| Mar 11, 2003 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | L 105-102 | |
| Mar 12, 2003 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 111-92 | |
| Mar 15, 2003 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 98-94 | |
| Mar 16, 2003 | @ New York Knicks | L 120-111 | |
| Mar 19, 2003 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 104-85 | |
| Mar 21, 2003 | @ New Orleans Hornets | L 113-98 | |
| Mar 22, 2003 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | W 93-85 | |
| Mar 25, 2003 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 107-94 | |
| Mar 26, 2003 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 108-103 | |
| Mar 28, 2003 | @ Utah Jazz | L 103-90 | |
| Mar 30, 2003 | vs. Miami Heat | W 109-87 | |
| Mar 31, 2003 | @ Miami Heat | W 91-86 | |
| Apr 02, 2003 | vs. Houston Rockets | W 106-99 | |
| Apr 04, 2003 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 95-93 | |
| Apr 05, 2003 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 117-115 | |
| Apr 09, 2003 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | W 112-92 | |
| Apr 11, 2003 | @ Toronto Raptors | W 105-103 | |
| Apr 13, 2003 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 107-98 | |
| Apr 16, 2003 | vs. Orlando Magic | W 93-87 |