The Milwaukee Bucks are in town to try and ruin the Celtics’ three-game winning streak
The Milwaukee Bucks are in the same boat as the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams came in with a lot of hope, but flopped. Milwaukee was supposed to make huge strides this season, yet sit at 32-46 and trying to figure out what went wrong.
The Bucks have been hit hard with injuries this season as their starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams is out for the year.Starting guard Khris Middleton is also a game-time decision. Middleton would be a huge addition as he leads the team in points per game with 18.2 and shoots 40.2 percent from behind the arc, giving them a reliable shooter. Milwaukee was supposed to make huge strides this season, yet sit at 32-46 and trying to figure out what went wrong.
On the other hand, Boston is expected to get Evan Turner back, although, he is going to have to wear goggles. Marcus Smart, who also had an eye injury at the end of their win over the Pelicans, will be fine and should be good to go for Boston. The Celtics are on a three-game winning streak and hope to make it four on Friday night leading up to their important three game stretch to end the season.
With all the injuries the Bucks have had this season, they have turned to 6’11” Giannis Antetokounmpo to be their starting point guard. He has done well in the role as his quickness and ball-handling skills cause problems for any team. He has recorded five triple-doubles this season as his full potential is starting to show.
The “Greek Freak” is one of the biggest mismatches in the game, and it’s nearly impossible to guard him one-on-one. Boston will have to have a lot of help defense to guard him effectively. Running their offense through Antetokounmpo will be the key for Milwaukee as Stevens will have to be creative to try to stop him.
As many injuries as the Bucks have had this season, they still have a good amount of young talent. Jabari Parker is back from his torn ACL and is starting to find his footing in the NBA. Averaging 13.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game has been one of the only bright spots on the Bucks’ roster this season, as it shows his development.
Big off-season signing Greg Monroe has not been effective as the Bucks hoped as he doesn’t fit into Jason Kidd‘s system. He still averages near a double-double, however, he isn’t the same dominant force down low that he was with the Detroit Pistons last season.
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The key for Boston is to play quick right out of the gate. They looked sluggish in their last win over the Pelicans and it cost them as the game went down to the wire. Boston can’t rely on Isaiah Thomas to score 30+ points every night, they need to put away a Bucks’ team, that has been decimated with injuries, early.
It’s easy to look ahead to the final three games on the schedule, however, a loss here could be crucial when it’s all said and done. Boston is not in position to blow any winnable games against non-playoff teams, and so far they’ve done a good job of that. However, their luck may run out if they’re not fully up for this game as Milwaukee, while not playing well this season, has the talent to pull an upset.
Next: Celtics Have Work to do Before the Playoffs
The race is on for home-court advantage and this is a must win for the Celtics. Milwaukee is playing for nothing more than pride, the Celtics need to come out firing.