Bucks Week Ahead: Khrismas Season

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Photo via Twitter / Bucks

Khris Middleton

The championship model in the NBA has long been built on the idea of the “big three,” or three superstars that can act as a core of your starting lineup on any given night. For the Milwaukee Bucks, that unit is comprised of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, who were focal points of leading Milwaukee to their 2020-21 title. Until last week, the Bucks had been reduced to just two-thirds of that offensive attack most nights, as Middleton made his season debut on Friday night at Fiserv Forum in an exciting, albeit unfortunate loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. In that game, Middleton played 27 minutes, and put together a solid outing with 17 points, including going three of four from three-point range.

While the big three all had the night off on Saturday, when the Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 105-96, the return of Middleton is crucial to Milwaukee’s success as games get tighter in the remaining months of the season. While Giannis generally leads the way for Milwaukee on the offensive front, Holiday and Middleton have both proven capable on many occasions of being able to lead the scoring for Milwaukee. Middleton also provides an extra threat from beyond the three-point arc, an area where the Bucks have struggled to find consistency. Putting an extra Olympian and NBA all-star on the floor is never a bad thing for Milwaukee, and as he continues to get back into the flow of the game, will help an already clicking Bucks starting rotation get even stronger. Here is what is on the way for the Bucks this week:

Monday, December 5 at Orlando (6 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)

The week begins with the first of three meetings between the Bucks and the Orlando Magic this season, and Milwaukee’s first glimpse of 2022 top overall draft pick Paolo Banchero. In 17 games for Orlando this year so far, Banchero already leads the Magic in points, as Orlando is beginning to rebuild their franchise. The Magic do have the worst record in the Eastern Conference right now, but have plenty of efforts being made to turn the early part of their season around. While all of the Bucks’ stars are listed as day-to-day right now, this could be Orlando’s best chance to steal a game in their season series.

Wednesday, December 7 vs. Sacramento (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)

The Bucks return home to Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night, when the Sacramento Kings make their lone trip to Milwaukee for the teams’ first meeting of the season. The Kings are in the midst of a rebuilding cycle of their own, though they’ve already been able to put things on the right path after a series of trades to acquire strong role players. Leading the way for Sacramento is guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Domantas Sabonis, who combine to lead the Kings in points, rebounds and assists this season. A seven-game winning streak in November helped propel Sacramento into fifth place in the Western Conference heading into the week, but hopefully the Bucks can stop their momentum mid-week.

Friday, December 9 at Dallas (9 p.m., ESPN)

The Bucks head into the weekend for a two-game road trip in Texas, beginning with a marquee matchup Friday night on ESPN. Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks will host the Bucks first, as Milwaukee will look to replicate their 124-115 win from just 12 days prior at home. Last time around, Grayson Allen hit a barrage of seven three-pointers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo went for 30 points to lead the Bucks to victory. The Mavericks, however, were playing the second of back-to-back games that night, with travel from Toronto to Milwaukee in between. On Friday, they’ll have two prior days of rest, and it may make all of the difference. Doncic has been virtually unstoppable for Dallas so far this year, and the story of the game will once again be how he stacks up when facing Giannis, Middleton and Holiday, this time on his home court.

Sunday, December 11 at Houston (6 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)

With a day of rest in between, the Bucks will close out the weekend in Houston, matching up with the struggling Rockets. Houston is tied for last place in the Western Conference, and come into the week winning just four of their last 12 games. The Bucks previously routed the Rockets 125-105 in October, in a game that saw Giannis scoring 44 points in just under 28 minutes on the floor. After that game, Houston coach Stephen Silas told the press that they may have a fluid starting lineup for the rest of the season, rather than a set starting five that most teams would. That may sound like a franchise in disarray to some, and seems like a good scenario for Milwaukee to rest some of their banged up players, letting a strong group of bench players get even stronger.