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Bobby Portis and Jrue Holiday
The Milwaukee Bucks will not be home for Christmas. In fact, they won’t be home the entire week leading up to the holiday, as they begin a five-game road trip on Monday night in New Orleans. The Bucks haven’t had much time away from Fiserv Forum this year, but when they are on the road, they have a 7-5 record so far. That makes for their worst road win percentage since 2018-19, when they began their current streak of playing as part of the NBA’s annual slate of Christmas day games. When it comes to the actual Christmas Day game itself, though, the Bucks have done well, winning three of their last four over the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and the Boston Celtics, who Milwaukee will face at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon.
There will likely not be many holiday pleasantries this week, especially when it comes to the showdown in Boston. The Bucks come into the week trailing the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings by half a game, with the top seed in their sights. An unexpected loss to the Houston Rockets, as well as a 142-101 drubbing from the Memphis Grizzlies last week are certainly the difference maker, and the only real blemishes on an otherwise solid run of games for the Bucks. Milwaukee can improve their road record significantly this week, but four tough teams look to stand in their way. Here is what’s ahead:
Monday, December 19 at New Orleans (7 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
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The week begins in the south, with the Bucks visiting Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. Coincidentally, the Pelicans have lost their last three games, all of which were on the road as well. While New Orleans is currently in second place in the Western Conference, they’ll be without a core component of their offense, as forward Brandon Ingram is out for at least another few days with a toe injury. All eyes will be on the matchup between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Williamson in the paint, provided Giannis plays. In the event he doesn’t, center Brook Lopez will have his work cut out for him on Monday night.
Wednesday, December 21 at Cleveland (6 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks will then begin a tour of the top Eastern Conference teams on Wednesday, as the first of three big games comes on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the first two games between these teams, Milwaukee has walked away victorious, including a 117-102 win at the end of November that made a statement on the then-surging Cavaliers. In that game, Giannis led the way with 38 points, many of which contributed to erasing a 16-point lead in the first half of the game. Stellar defense in the second half also played a major factor, with Cleveland only scoring ten points in the third quarter. The Bucks and Cavaliers meet one more time this year, but with just two games separating these two teams in the standings, Milwaukee will want to once again stand strong against a divisional opponent.
Friday, December 23 at Brooklyn (6:30 p.m., NBA TV)
Friday night sees the Bucks in Brooklyn, against a Nets team that comes into the week on a five-game winning streak. After a shaky start, the Nets are currently in fourth in the Eastern Conference, and they’ll be looking for revenge from a 110-99 loss to Milwaukee in the third game of the Bucks’ season. The first meeting was a wild contest, in which Brooklyn head coach Steve Nash was ejected in the third quarter for arguing a missed foul call on Giannis in the paint. The wheels fell off from there for Brooklyn, with the Bucks outscoring the Nets 44-29 after the ejection. Milwaukee faces the Nets again in February and March, when things could be even tighter between the two as playoff seeding becomes more and more important. Friday’s contest should be a fairly high-scoring affair, and emotions may certainly come into play once again.
Sunday, December 25 at Boston (4 p.m., ABC)
It would be easy to conceive that the most important game of the Bucks’ road trip will be Sunday, when they face the Celtics in Boston on national TV. The top spot in the Eastern Conference standings could be on the line, but with the entire country watching, the game will be more about the national perception of Giannis and Milwaukee as serious contenders for a title this year. This is also the first meeting for the Bucks and Celtics since Boston eliminated Milwaukee from the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, so Milwaukee will not only want to look strong, but also send a message to a team that is quickly becoming a rival.
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