The 2-0 Milwaukee Bucks take on the 1-2 Brooklyn (New Jersey/ Jay-Z) Nets Wednesday night in downtown Milwaukee at the Fiserv forum. This is the Bucks second game of an unusual six game homestand to start the season. A six game homestand is strange in the NBA- a six game home stand this early is downright Halloween eerie.
The probable starting lineup for the Bucks is Jrue Holiday at the point guard position, Grayson Allen at shooting guard, Giannis at small forward, Bobby Portis at power forward and Brook Lopez at center. We all still await the return of Khris Middleton.
Vegas has the Bucks at a 55% chance to win the game and 4 point favorites.
The keys for the Bucks will be to rebound the ball and win all of the hustle plays. Brooklyn will be able to keep up with the Bucks if they push the tempo. But can Brooklyn win back the momentum in the game if the Bucks win on the boards?
You get the feeling that Brooklyn is close to wanting to “will” themselves to a win after a tough loss to Memphis Monday. So this game might not be about talent, even though again it’d be great to have Middleton playing, but about “will”. Good thing we have Giannis!
The Opponent: The Brooklyn Nets
This will be a tough game for the Bucks. Flat-earth aficionado Kyrie Irving has always been a player to give this team trouble. (He averages 24.5 points a game against the Bucks.) He’ll be the player to contain. Kevin Durant has been busy buying pickleball teams. Ben Simmons has been, well, Ben Simmons. He is off to a very slow start, barely averaging six points a game.
It’ll be interesting to see how much energy the Nets come out with for this nationally televised game. Can Ben Simmons finally put together a game?
Things to tell your buddies as you are watching the game
- Remember game seven of the Nets playoffs series in June of 2021. Clink glasses and be thankful that Durant has such a big foot (size 18) and that shot only counted as a two. What a game!
- Kevin Durant has sixteen career triple doubles. By comparison Giannis has 29. Giannis has been in the NBA for ten seasons; Durant for 16.
- The average per player, yearly salary, for the Nets is $12.2 Million Dollars, making them the second highest paid team behind defending champion the Golden State Warriors.
- Kevin Durant was a number two overall pick. Ben Simmons went number one overall; so did Kyrie Irving. By comparison, the Bucks have no #1 overall picks on their current roster. The highest draft position of a Bucks rostered player is Brook Lopez (10th overall) in 2008- selected by the New Jersey Nets.
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