Photo via Twitter / Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks come into this week on two straight losses, but that isn’t the biggest of concerns for the team right now. On Saturday night, Milwaukee faced the New York Knicks with just eight active players, the minimum necessary to play in an NBA game. Center Brook Lopez was the team’s only regular starter, with the remaining roles given to Thanasis Antetokoumnpo, Jordan Nwora, Sam Merrill and Axel Toupane. While it was a very inexperienced combination of players, the Bucks only lost by six to a Knicks team that has been surprisingly strong this year.
The unusual starting roles are the result of an injury bug hitting Milwaukee’s starters after a long stretch without significant harm to the team. Giannis Antetokounmpo is dealing with a knee sprain, and Jrue Holiday has a knee issue as well. Donte DiVincenzo has a foot injury, new signee P.J. Tucker a calf, and forward Khris Middleton’s injury is undisclosed. All are listed as day-to-day. The only Bucks player currently out due to COVID-19 protocols is backup center Bobby Portis, who will likely miss the majority of the next two weeks. The timing of the injuries could not be worse, as Milwaukee hits the road for the next six games against some of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Monday, March 29 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (9 p.m., NBA TV)
Let’s hope many of the Bucks’ injuries are temporary, as they’ll open their road trip with the current 3rd place team in the West against the Los Angeles Clippers. In their first meeting of the season last month, the Bucks won 105-100 on the strength of a 9-0 run to finish the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo played a major factor in that late rally, and finished the game with 36 points and 14 rebounds. The Clippers are facing their own injury issues with center Serge Ibaka and guard Patrick Beverley, but a roster that features all-stars Kahwi Leonard and Paul George, as well as strong contributors in Marcus Morris, Nicholas Batum and Lou Williams will be looking to make it an easy night on Monday.
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Wednesday, March 31 vs. Los Angeles Lakers (9 p.m., ESPN)
The Bucks will remain in Staples Center for Wednesday’s game, again on national TV against LeBron James and the Lakers. The Lakers are currently 4th in the West, partly due to a four-game losing skid, and what was originally looking like a matchup of two elite players in Giannis and LeBron will be severely hampered by injuries. James is out for several weeks with a high ankle sprain, and forward Anthony Davis is out with a calf injury. The game feels like more of a toss-up depending on who is healthier coming into it, but both teams’ benches will likely get a lot of minutes.
Friday, April 2 vs. Portland (9 p.m., NBA TV)
While the Bucks likely won’t see LeBron or Anthony Davis on Wednesday, they’ll have another dynamic duo in the West on Friday with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. In the first matchup of the year, Milwaukee won by 28 points, and it was one of just four instances this season where Giannis Antetokounmpo did not lead the Bucks in points, assists or rebounds. Instead, Jrue Holiday led the way for Milwaukee with 22 points, and the Bucks scored 79 points in an unreal first half. This time around, Portland will have a healthy C.J. McCollum, which they did not have in the last meeting, and Lillard averaging 30 points per game coming into the week. Portland is looking for a statement win, and Milwaukee may be in the right position for it by the end of the week.
Saturday, April 3 vs. Sacramento (9 p.m., Fox Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks close out the week by heading back to the state of California for a matchup with the Sacramento Kings. While they aren’t currently in a playoff spot, Sacramento is in a battle for the 8th seed, just three games behind the Dallas Mavericks coming into the week. As the season’s end in May approaches, every game for teams in the playoff battle becomes more important heading down the stretch. Sacramento will be relying on guards De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield to lead them on offense, and have a fairly deep team if forwards Harrison Barnes and Marvin Bagley III can get things going. Milwaukee confidently rolled past Sacramento in their first contest, but with injury issues being the underlying storyline, this game may not be as easy.
