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The Milwaukee Bucks enter the week with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. While that is fine, considering it is a guaranteed playoff spot and wouldn’t be subject to the NBA’s play-in tournament, they are just two games behind the Chicago Bulls, 1.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets and a game behind the Miami Heat. In their last 10 games, Milwaukee has gone 5-5, dropping a pair of winnable games against both the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors, and a shocker to the league-worst record Detroit Pistons. Any combination of wins from those games would have the Bucks possibly sitting atop the conference standings.
The Bucks are also dealing with the absence of a core component in Jrue Holiday, who has missed time with an ankle issue. Injuries seem to have been the story of the Bucks’ shortcomings so far, as they’ve been plagued by stretches of missing players for much of the season. When the team is at full health, they’ve put on strong displays as a unit. However, much of the year has been focused on adjusting to new variations of the Bucks’ rotation. Fortunately, aside from one road game, the team will be at home for most of the week, and hopefully can make up some ground in a tightly-contested Eastern Conference. Here’s what is ahead:
Monday, Jan. 17 at Atlanta (5 p.m., TNT)
The week begins on Monday, with the Bucks taking part in the league’s slate of games honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. against the Atlanta Hawks. This is the second meeting of Milwaukee’s Eastern Conference finals opponents from last year, with the Bucks losing by 20 points the last time they were inside State Farm Arena in November. In that game, star point guard Trae Young was out for retribution from the playoffs, putting up 42 of Atlanta’s points in the winning effort. It is important to note that the last game was the final contest of a five-game road trip for the Bucks, and also the first game back from injury for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee never led beyond four minutes into the game last time around, though, so getting off to a hot start will be essential on Monday.
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Wednesday, Jan. 19 vs. Memphis (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks return home to Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, beginning a three-game home stint and hosting six of their next seven games overall. Their first opponents of this stretch are the Memphis Grizzlies, who are currently also sitting fourth in the Western Conference. Memphis comes into the week winning nine of their last ten games, though, behind strong play from guard Ja Morant, who is quickly emerging as a star in the league. This is the first meeting of the two teams this season, but the scouting for Memphis is fairly easy, as Morant is far and away the focal point of the offense. The Grizzlies will also be without forward Dillon Brooks, who is the main support for Morant, but a strong cast of role-players have found their rhythm, pushing the team up the Western Conference ranks.
Friday, Jan. 21 vs. Chicago, (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
Friday night is another marquee matchup for the Bucks, as they’ll be at home against the conference-leading Chicago Bulls. This is the first meeting of the Bucks and Bulls this season, though they’ll play two more times before the season is over. Chicago’s front office has built up the team significantly in the past few years, with guard Zach LaVine having a breakout season, complimented by forward DeMar DeRozan, center Nikola Vucevic and guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, all of whom have stepped up for Chicago when they’ve needed to this year. It’s a far cry from the championship teams of the 90’s for the Bulls, but they’ve taken a similar approach, building beyond the big-three model that most contenders in the league, including Milwaukee, have utilized. However, Chicago will likely be without LaVine, who went down in the opening minutes of their game against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Saturday, Jan. 22 vs. Sacramento (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The week closes out with another Western Conference opponent on Saturday night, as Milwaukee completes a back-to-back stretch against the Sacramento Kings. This is the first meeting of the season for the Bucks and Kings, as well, with Sacramento on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoffs. The Kings should be without a couple of key players on Saturday, with forward Marvin Bagley III listed as day-to-day, and breakout guard Tyrese Haliburton entering the league’s health and safety protocols for COVID-19 on Sunday. While it is likely that both could appear for Sacramento, it’s fairly unlikely that both will be able to assist guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Harrison Barnes, who will have to carry the load of the Kings’ offensive duties.
