Photo via Twitter / Bucks
Coming into this week, the Milwaukee Bucks are sitting three games back of the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets tied for first. That, however, is not the biggest concern for the team. Nagging injuries that plagued the Bucks in previous weeks are starting to wear on the starting lineup, as evidenced by Friday night’s very winnable contest against the Charlotte Hornets, which Milwaukee ultimately dropped 127-119.
Milwaukee only had 10 active players for the Friday night game, with all of them seeing significant minutes. Only guards Pat Connaughton and Axel Toupane as well as forward Rodions Kurucs saw less than 20 minutes of action, with 18 minutes each for the guards and Kurucs seeing 17. Going into an important stretch of matchups, it was clear that the regular starters were sitting to preserve themselves for tougher contests in the final month of the regular season. However, if the injuries continue to pile up towards the playoffs, the road to just the third NBA finals in franchise history gets that much harder for Milwaukee. Here’s what is in store for this week.
Wednesday, April 14 at Minnesota (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been making more headlines off the court rather than on it this year. News broke over the weekend that the franchise, along with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx was set to be acquired by former baseball star Alex Rodriguez and billionaire Marc Lore. Milwaukee’s first meeting with the currently last-place Timberwolves was in February, which was also the debut of head coach Chris Finch, who replaced Ryan Saunders. Since the coaching switch, Minnesota has gone 6-16, and the timing of this game could not be better for the Bucks. Look for the younger players that ran the majority of the game vs. Charlotte on Friday to be out for redemption, while Milwaukee likely rests their starters once again.
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Thursday, April 15 at Atlanta (6:30 p.m., TNT)
Thursday night’s contest in Atlanta should be a different story for Milwaukee, as they’ll go up against the 5th place Hawks on national television. The Bucks have only seen Atlanta once so far this season, winning 129-115 on January 24 in a game in which they held a close lead for virtually the entire contest. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points that night, and finished two assists shy of a triple-double. This game should likely be Giannis’ return to the floor, and he’ll be looking to perform under the brightest of lights once again. The Bucks and Hawks will meet again just 10 days later back in Atlanta, so look for Milwaukee to make a statement against a possible first-round playoff opponent.
Saturday, April 17 vs. Memphis (8 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks will return home on Saturday to face the Memphis Grizzlies, who are in a battle for the last playoff seed in the Western Conference. The Bucks first saw Memphis just a little over a month ago, winning a 112-111 thriller on the strength of a Jrue Holiday baseline jumper with two seconds left to play. A defensive stop as time expired allowed Milwaukee to sneak away with the win, but the Bucks also had as much as an 18-point lead at one point in the contest. Aside from an overtime loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday, the Grizzlies have been hot coming into this week, winning four of their last five games. With the Bucks jockeying for the top playoff spot in the East, and the Grizzlies looking to get into the post season in the West, look for the last meeting of these teams for the season to be exciting.
