Photo via Twitter / Bucks
Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis
Last week, the Milwaukee Bucks were in the sixth position in the Eastern Conference, in the middle of a tightly contested playoff picture. This week, thanks to some key wins and a seven-game losing streak from the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee is in third place alongside the Chicago Bulls, just a half game behind the conference leaders Miami Heat. There’s still plenty of time before the postseason, but Milwaukee is putting the pieces together right now, positioning themselves well as the NBA heads into the All-Star break in two weeks.
Speaking of the All-Star Game, the Bucks will be well represented in Cleveland on February 20. Giannis Antetokounmpo was named as a starter, marking his 6th appearance in the mid-season exhibition, and Khris Middleton was revealed as one of the Eastern Conference reserves, making him a three-time NBA All-Star. The third component of Milwaukee’s big three, Jrue Holiday, was snubbed despite leading the team in assists and steals. Milwaukee is one of only five teams to have multiple all-stars this year, and only the Golden State Warriors have more than two, with three players headed to the game.
In the meantime, Milwaukee can continue to better themselves by hopefully taking the top of the Eastern Conference standings before the All-Star Game. They’ll wrap up a four-game Western Conference road trip this week with a pair of nationally televised contests on TNT. Here’s what is ahead.
Tuesday, February 8 at Los Angeles Lakers (9 p.m., TNT)
The spotlight will certainly be on the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Bucks for their first game of the week. The story is certainly the head-to-head matchup of LeBron James and Giannis, but both rosters have depth, and both are in entirely different positions as far as the standings are concerned. The Lakers are currently in 9th place in the West, and have their fair share of drama that has been heavily covered by national media. Point guard Russell Westbrook currently leads the team in four categories, including points per game, but has been benched by coach Frank Vogel in critical moments, including an overtime win against the New York Knicks on Saturday night. While the stories off the court may be an underlying factor for Los Angeles, the team will certainly look to prove that they have it together when Giannis and the Bucks come to play on Tuesday night. It will certainly be worth staying up for.
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Thursday, February 10 at Phoenix (9 p.m., TNT)
Another big game for Milwaukee will be this Thursday night, as the first rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals takes place on TNT, with the Bucks going into the valley to face the Phoenix Suns. Milwaukee and Phoenix will meet twice in the next month, with the March contest happening at Fiserv Forum. There’s no doubt that the Phoenix fans will look to create the same hostile environment that they did in the last year’s finals, especially when Giannis Antetokounmpo gets to the free throw line. Aside from the fans, though, the Bucks will have to face a dynamic duo in Chris Paul and Devin Booker, both of whom are having all-star worthy seasons once again. We’ve seen the fireworks in last year’s NBA Finals, so get excited for what is sure to be a close game on Thursday.
