Well, the game against Houston couldn’t have gone much worse. Not only did the Bucks lose to one of the worst teams in the league, but Giannis got hurt also. They gave up 143 points to the lowly Rockets and 50 of them came from Kevin Porter Jr. Truly a display of poor defense. Can the Bucks bounce back after such a bad loss?
Giannis Hurt Again
After missing several games with an injured knee, it appears Giannis could miss multiple games again after spraining his ankle. He originally tweaked it in the game against the Hornets, and then twisted it again in the first minute of the Houston game. I would expect the Bucks won’t push him to play anymore this regular season unless he is totally healthy.
Who will start in place of Giannis? During his last extended absence Pat Connaughton took many of his minutes. However now that PJ Tucker is healthy, maybe he will get a run with the starters? Look for Bryn Forbes to get extended minutes over Donte Divincenzo as well. Tucker could provide some of the versatile defense the Bucks will miss without Giannis, while Forbes could provide some extra shooting. Let’s hope the MVP gets fully healthy again prior to the playoffs with time to get back in rhythm.
Bulls Sliding Down the Standings
Despite making the splash move of trading for Vucevic at the deadline, Chicago really hasn’t improved on the court. Losers of six out of their last ten games, Chicago sits four games out of the eighth spot (currently 11th in the East). Hopefully the Bucks decide to show up to try staying in the running for the #1 seed by defeating a mediocre team.
A big key to victory for Milwaukee will be holding Zach Lavine in check on offense. For the season he has averaged 27.5 points per game, and the Bucks got torched on the perimeter by the Rockets. If coach Budenholzer makes adjustments and Lavine is held to 20 points or less I think the Bucks have a good chance of winning. Don’t forget about Vucevic though either, as he has always killed Milwaukee as a member of the Magic.
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