Photo via Twitter / Bucks
It has not been an easy week at home for the Milwaukee Bucks. The team lost their last four home games dating back to Wednesday, October 27, and the only reprieve has been a convincing road win on November 2 against a young, developing Detroit Pistons squad. In fact, the Bucks have won just a single game at Fiserv Forum this year, on opening night against the Brooklyn Nets. That game was the only one to feature a fully healthy team, as well, with Jrue Holiday getting injured in that contest. A road trip may be just what the doctor ordered.
Injuries have been the underlying theme of this season so far. The Bucks regained center Bobby Portis last week from the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but also lost guard Khris Middleton due to a positive COVID-19 test. As of Sunday night’s contest in Washington against the Wizards, Milwaukee was without Middleton, center Brook Lopez, and guard Donte DiVincenzo. Recently signed guard Grayson Allen, who has seen a resurgence in a young career thanks to his outside shooting, was also dealing with an injury, and Holiday is still rehabbing his opening night ankle issue to some extent. That being said, Milwaukee will have to get by, as they endure four games in six days on the road.
Tuesday, November 9 at Philadelphia (6:30 p.m., TNT)
Milwaukee will take their road trip to Philadelphia to begin the week, with a high-profile matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on national TV. Philadelphia is off to a hot start this year, winning eight of their first ten matchups, despite having off-court issues surrounding star point guard Ben Simmons. After being kicked out of a practice, Simmons cited not being mentally ready to play for the 76ers this year, and has not played for the team yet. That means a reliance on center Joel Embiid, former Buck Tobias Harris, and shooting guard Seth Curry. Embiid in particular will cause problems for Giannis and Bobby Portis in the paint, as Milwaukee is sorely missing the presence of Brook Lopez under the basket. While it should be an entertaining matchup, it won’t be easy by any measure for Milwaukee.
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Wednesday, November 10 at New York (6:30 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks and Knicks will run back Friday night’s contest this Wednesday, with the Bucks heading into Madison Square Garden for the first time this season. The Knicks rallied to come back from Milwaukee’s 38-point first quarter on Friday, ultimately winning 113-98. Milwaukee went cold on offense as the game progressed, and allowed forward Julius Randle and guard RJ Barrett to combine for more than 50 points as a duo for New York. Milwaukee’s bench saw a lot of playing time on Friday, fresh off of Khris Middleton’s positive COVID-19 test and after just regaining Jrue Holiday, who needed to shake some rust off. The box score would make things look worse than they ultimately were, but Milwaukee will be hoping to steal a game back in Manhattan.
Friday, November 12 at Boston (6:30 p.m., ESPN)
Milwaukee will enjoy a day of rest after back-to-back games in Philadelphia and New York, and then it’s onto Boston on Friday night for another national TV game. The Celtics have a number of solid components on their roster this season, although they haven’t really gotten those pieces to work together at this point. Boston has won just four of their first ten games of the year, and are without guard Jaylen Brown due to a hamstring injury. Fortunately for the Celtics, they can rely on center Al Horford, guards Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder, and forward Jason Tatum to make an impact on Friday’s game. Boston has also yet to win a game at home this year, but certainly have all of the pieces to do so.
Sunday, November 14 at Atlanta (5 p.m., Bally Sports Wisconsin)
The Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will have their first rematch of the 2020-21 Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon, capping off Milwaukee’s road trip. The Hawks are led by point guard Trey Young, who was nothing short of a thorn in the Bucks’ side last postseason. Atlanta has retained much of their roster from last year, though they have been off to a shaky start to the season going into this week. The Hawks will also be coming off of a four-game west coast road trip of their own on Sunday, so look for fatigue on both sides to be a factor. The Bucks beat Atlanta in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games (naturally,) and that’s certainly something that Young and the Hawks haven’t forgotten.
