Following a battle with Houston that was closer than it should’ve been, the Bucks travel to San Antonio on Monday. Thanks to the play-in tournament implemented this year, the Spurs still have a chance to make the playoffs. Currently sitting at 10th place in the Western Conference, the Spurs are 2.5 games ahead of the Pelicans and two games behind Memphis. Coach Popovich and his squad aren’t going to just back down. We should all expect a close game.
Bucks Now Sit Ahead of the Nets
Thanks to the most recent five game winning streak, Milwaukee is now tied with the Nets for the second seed in the East. They hold the tie breaker over Brooklyn as well since they won the season series 2-1. This winning streak has been anything but easy. Only one of the past five games has been decided by double digits (108-98 against Chicago). While it’s concerning the Bucks have allowed mediocre teams to stay close, they’ve at least displayed they can close out games in the end.
With Giannis saying “This don’t mean nothing to me” after victories against the Nets, maybe this shows us the different mindset the whole team has when it comes to the regular season as opposed to the past. Let’s hope this is the case and that coach Budenholzer has been making notes of what’s worked in games and what hasn’t. While it is important at this point in year to win games, it’s just as important for Milwaukee to focus on things to use in the playoffs. We shall see if this mindset change truly changes anything come post-season. If Milwaukee loses three or four consecutive playoff games at any point this year, I would expect Budenholzer to be gone. Let’s hope he’s learned from past mistakes and Milwaukee can put it all together.
Spurs Making Final Push
If there’s anything coach Gregg Popovich is known for in his tenure other than championships, it’s making the playoffs. So despite having a lack-luster roster you cannot sleep on the Spurs towards the end of the year. Look for DeMar DeRozan to take advantage of the mid-range Milwaukee willingly concedes. Meanwhile the rest of the squad will be trying to drain threes. This game truly is going to come down to who wants it more. Will Milwaukee’s motivation to stay ahead of the Nets be enough to overcome a desperate Spurs team?
[pickup_prop id=”6989″]
For More Great Content
Follow me on Twitter at @IAmMitchLang and follow us at @WiSportsHeroics for more articles like this! Check out our merch page here and use promo code WISCO at checkout for $1 off! To keep up to date with everything in WI sports, click here.
