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The Bucks went into the All-Star break with a record of 22-14, and are currently holding onto the 3rd playoff seed before the start of the second half of the season. Milwaukee has won six of their last seven games, with the last win coming on the road Thursday night in Memphis thanks to a Jrue Holiday mid-range shot with two seconds left. Holiday’s return after being sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols means that there are no significant injuries affecting the Bucks’ main rotation, and they’ll be well rested, as only Giannis Antetokoumpo participated in All-Star activities on Sunday, where he proved himself again on a big stage, shooting a perfect 16-16 from the field and securing the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP Award. Giannis is the first player to shoot 100% from the field in an All-Star Game since Hal Greer did it on only eight shots in 1968. In many ways, the potential is high for the Milwaukee Bucks as they move to the second half of the season.
That being said, there is still room for improvement. Milwaukee has been the most dominant regular-season team in the NBA the past two seasons, and they haven’t filled that role in 2020-21. Finishing close games is important, as the Bucks have lost six games by five points or less in the first half of the year. Unforced errors also play a factor. Khris Middleton is the only Bucks player in the top 100 free throw shooters by percentage, and the team has the 7th most turnovers in the league. Those stats will become increasingly important as the season winds down. Here’s what the Bucks have in store for this week.
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Thursday, March 11 vs. New York (7 p.m., Fox Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks open the second half of the season against the New York Knicks, who they haven’t seen since the third game of the year, back in December. The Knicks got their first win under coach Tom Thibodeau in that game by a score of 130-110, and have since proved to be the real deal after the franchise had faced notoriously bad decades. New York is currently in the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, and are led by forward Julius Randle, along with guards RJ Barrett and Elfrid Payton, who are both in their second years with the Knicks. This is just one of several potential first round playoff matchups for the Bucks, and they should rightfully be out for redemption in this game. Expect emotions to run a little higher than usual.
Saturday, March 13 at Washington (6 p.m., Fox Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks will then travel to Washington for a pair of games on Saturday and Monday with the Wizards. Milwaukee’s lone matchup with Washington in the first half of the season was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Wizards’ roster, meaning that they’ll see Bradley Beal and co. three times in the back half of the year. Washington is coming into the week six games below .500 largely due to a losing streak to start their slate, but also had six games postponed in the early weeks of the season. Since then, they have a record of 10-10, and are relying on guards Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook to carry the team offensively. Milwaukee should hopefully take the pair of games in the nation’s capital, but coming out of the gate strong will be important for their second half of the season overall.
