Photo via Twitter / Bucks
Jrue Holiday
With just over a calendar month left in the Milwaukee Bucks season, things are looking promising as they head towards their final playoff push. More than likely, Milwaukee will be high up in the postseason seedings, but the last 17 games of the year in a tight Eastern Conference race will make for plenty of excitement. Four big wins over Miami, Charlotte, Chicago and the Phoenix Suns were crucial in terms of gaining ground in the standings. Clutch plays from Jrue Holiday have played a factor, with the go-ahead basket in the 120-119 win over Miami and big shots against the Bulls on Friday night. Of course, 28 and 34-point additions from Giannis Antetokounmpo played a big factor as well.
Some of the most encouraging news came from off the court for Milwaukee in the last week. Center Brook Lopez, who has been out for much of this season after undergoing back surgery, is set to return to 5-on-5 scrimmaging and has been cleared for contact drills. That means he’ll likely be back in the lineup for Milwaukee in time to get reacclimated before the playoffs, and could be a strong role player off the bench in the games that matter most. In addition to Giannis and the recently acquired Serge Ibaka, Lopez gives Milwaukee even more options in the middle, which will prove more than useful if having to contend with players like Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid or Miami’s Bam Adebayo in the playoffs.
Milwaukee has three games this week, and if you go strictly off the standings, things should get more difficult as the week goes along. Here’s what is on the schedule:
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Tuesday, March 8 at Oklahoma City (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The week begins with back-to-back games, starting with a quick flight to Oklahoma City to meet the Thunder. Oklahoma City has been essentially a non-factor in the Western Conference this season, with the Bucks convincingly winning their only other meeting this season, 96-89 in November. In that game, the Bucks never trailed, and built up a lead as high as 20 points, but the deficit was cut down to just three points in the second half. While Milwaukee has remained fairly consistent all season, Oklahoma City has endured several losing streaks throughout the course of this year, and have only recently started to win games with any sort of consistency. Milwaukee should be able to handle the Thunder, but as we’ve seen, you can never really say never in the NBA.
Wednesday, March 9 vs. Atlanta (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks are back at home on Wednesday night, with their final matchup against the Hawks for the regular season. Atlanta are currently battling it out for the last play-in position in the league’s postseason tournament, and have been a thorn in the side of the Bucks, beating them in both of their previous contests. Clearly the Hawks haven’t forgotten last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, and will be motivated to close out the season series against Milwaukee as well as keep their momentum in the standings. For the Bucks, it will be a chance to defend their home court, as both of the previous losses came on the road. Look for star guard Trae Young and the rest of the solid Hawks lineup to create some sparks on Wednesday night.
Saturday, March 12 at Golden State (7:30 p.m., ABC)
The week ends with a high profile beginning to a four-game road trip, with a nationally televised contest against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. A recent losing skid has pushed the Warriors down the Western Conference playoff picture only slightly, but the team is riding high since the return of Klay Thompson and the emergence of Andrew Wiggins bolstering the Golden State productivity on offense. In the only other meeting of the year, the Bucks had a 77-38 lead at halftime, racking up one of their largest first-half scores of the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished 118-99 with a triple-double, but the Warriors have certainly become a different team since the rough patch that Milwaukee caught them in last time around. It is definitely way too early to predict, but the thought of this being a potential NBA Finals matchup is rattling around in the back of people’s minds. Even if that isn’t the case, Saturday night’s primetime matchup is sure to be entertaining.
