Image via Twitter / Bucks
While many of them were expected, seven straight wins have put the Milwaukee Bucks in a much better position than they were at the start of last week. Milwaukee picked up victories over the bottom teams in the Eastern Conference last week, as well as a Denver Nuggets team without star center Nikola Jokic. The streak helped bump the Bucks up to the four seed in the East, with the chance to pick up even more ground in the games ahead.
Though Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be dominant in these last few contests, improved play from Bobby Portis and a return to form by Jrue Holiday have been crucial to making the victories comfortable. Holiday led the team in points in last Monday’s lopsided victory over Orlando, as well as assists on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons. Portis led the team in rebounds for both games. Giannis can take over on any given night, but having the rest of the roster play tough around him will benefit Milwaukee as they round the bend to the second half of the season. Here is what’s in store for the Bucks this week:
Wednesday, December 1 vs. Charlotte (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks return to Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night, when Lamelo Ball and a solid Charlotte Hornets team make their first visit to Milwaukee of the season. The Hornets are jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference with Milwaukee, winning four of their last five games. Ball has been the breakout for Charlotte this season, leading their squad in rebounds, assists and steals per game. Forward Miles Bridges is the team’s leading scorer, however, and Lamelo will receive assistants from veterans like Gordon Hayward and Kelly Oubre Jr., both of which have been playing strong as of late. Wednesday night’s contest should be a highly competitive affair.
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.
Thursday, December 2 at Toronto (6 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks will head to Canada overnight, taking on the Toronto Raptors in their first meeting of the season. Toronto are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff positions, but they definitely shouldn’t be counted out just yet. The Raptors have several offensive weapons that can give the Bucks’ defense a long night, including guard Fred VanVleet and forward OG Anunoby, the latter of which is dealing with a hip issue, disrupting his breakout season. Anunoby sat out of Sunday’s contest between Toronto and the Boston Celtics, but could easily be back to full strength by Thursday night. The back-to-back contests with travel in between may be able to swing momentum Toronto’s way.
Saturday, December 4 vs. Miami (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
Milwaukee returns home on Saturday night, with their toughest conference game of the week against the Miami Heat. The Heat will be on the second half of back-to-back games with travel themselves, but will be eager to see the Bucks, who knocked them out of the first round of the playoffs in four straight games last year. The first meeting of the season was a one-sided affair, with the Heat pulling away early to a 40-point first quarter in the Bucks’ second game of the season. They would win by 42 points, led by commanding performances from forward Jimmy Butler and center Bam Adebayo. Things get just a little more personal when these two teams meet, and they’ll do so twice in five days. Hopefully the Milwaukee crowd will provide a bit of a hostile environment when the Heat make their first trip to Fiserv Forum for the year.
