The Golden State Warriors were entering Thursday expecting a matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. However, they were surprised to see the Bucks rule out the two-time MVP in Giannis around an hour before tip-off, setting up what many perceived as an easy win against an undermanned Bucks team. But that was far from the truth.
Setting the tone early with a strong first quarter, the Bucks would hold on to beat the Warriors 120-110 in one of the most surprising outcomes of the season. A tough shooting night, paired with 19 team turnovers, the Warriors dropped their second game of the season. However, the storyline was with ex-Warriors guard Ryan Rollins, making the team regret moving on from him.
RYAN ROLLINS IS A HOOPER 🔥
32 PTS
8 AST
13-21 FG
BALLED OUT AGAINST WARRIORS (HIS FORMER TEAM) WITHOUT GIANNIS 😤 pic.twitter.com/0LfQeFJTe6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 31, 2025
Rollins led the way for Milwaukee with a career-high 32 points, surpassing his career high of 25 points he set against the New York Knicks in the previous game. Once upon a time, before the Bucks decided to ink him to an extension, Rollins began his career with the Golden State Warriors.
After two strong seasons with Toledo, earning All-MAC honors and averaging 18.9 points per game as a sophomore, Rollins declared for the NBA Draft. He’d be selected with the 44th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks, but he would be re-routed to the Warriors in exchange for the 51st pick, Tyrese Martin, and cash considerations.
Ryan Rollins 32 points (13/21), 8 assists https://t.co/sP3koi6cmn pic.twitter.com/VjglORHVTn
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) October 31, 2025
During his rookie season from 2022-23, Rollins would appear in just 12 games, with most of his appearances coming in the G League. However, at the end of his rookie season, the Warriors opted they want to go in another direction, sending him as part of the Jordan Poole trade to the Washington Wizards that sent back Chris Paul.
Poole was the player for a while that many fans highlighted as the big loss for Golden State, especially after his performance in the 2024-25 season. While Poole is still a fine player, Rollins was essentially a throw-in for that deal, and Golden State is probably regretting giving up on him so early.
The Ryan Rollins current contract (3/$12M) and AJ Green future extension (4/$45M), could age into the 2 best value deals in the NBA.
Rollins has 57 total points in his last 2 games.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 31, 2025
Rollins has scored in double figures in all but one contest this season, and could very well blossom into a third option on this Bucks team. Even though Rollins has been off to a good start this season, Golden State probably wasn’t expecting their former player to be the reason for their second loss of the year.
Golden State returns to action on Saturday with a road matchup against the Indiana Pacers.
