Bucks vs Suns Preview
Bucks are on a back-to-back
The 49-19 Milwaukee Bucks take on the 37-31 Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. The Bucks are coming off an awesome win vs Sacramento. In that game Giannis played well, scoring 46. What was probably more impressive was when the Kings took a “shot” at him at the end of the game, Brook Lopez rallied to his defense and let the league know that was not going to be acceptable. The Bucks are already exhibiting a playoff toughness that will serve them well.
The Suns will be without newly acquired star Kevin Durant. Without him, the Suns have really struggled.
The Bucks lead the NBA in team rebounding (49.1 rebounds a game). Memphis is in 2nd (47.1) and the Knicks are 3rd (47.0). Team rebounding will be a huge deal in tonight’s game. Whoever wins the rebounding battle will most likely win the game.
Vegas has the Bucks as 2 point favorites with a 58% chance to win. It might simply come down to who plays.
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Related: A Look at the Bucks Remaining Schedule
The Keys to a Bucks Win
Find the Hot Hand
Milwaukee managed 43 points last night in the 4th quarter. That was awesome considering the Kings were 2nd in the league in 4th quarter team defense.
Tonight, on a back-to-back, Milwaukee is going to need scoring. Lopez might be out- we’ll see what happens there?
In terms of finding the “hot hand”, Khris Middleton shot the ball really well at times against the Kings (31 points); so did Lopez. Jae Crowder was a little off. The former Sun was 0-2 from three. You’d be shocked if he really did not get up for this game against his former team. The key for Milwaukee is to continue to figure out who to get the ball to who is going to sink the shot.
Rebound the Ball
Milwaukee is 1st in the NBA in team rebounding. Against Sacramento the Bucks only had 43 rebounds. At times it felt like the Kings were getting all of the offensive boards.
Milwaukee needs to control the glass and box out!
“Move your feet”- don’t reach
The Bucks committed 21 personal fouls against Sacramento. It showed some signs, at times, of sloppy play. But it was better and the team defense was more energetic and efficient.
Right now the Bucks average 19 ½ team fouls a game. Last year they only averaged 17.8. That does not seem like much but it may be why we are seeing such streaky play in the 4th quarter.
In the win against LA the Bucks still had 20 fouls. Against Charlotte (win) they only had 15. When Milwaukee fouls less, they play better.
The Opponent: The Phoenix Suns
The Suns were very active at the trade deadline. It’ll be worth watching to see if those moves pay off. They traded the farm for Kevin Durant. We’ll talk about that lack of depth later.
The Suns are coached well. Monty Williams is the accomplished coach for Phoenix. He is well-respected throughout the NBA. He helped Phoenix make that magical run in the 2020-2021 season to the NBA Finals, only to lose to Milwaukee.
Some nice smack talk was thrown around at Chris Paul last night. Chris Paul (13/4/9) is the player-coach for the Suns. The 37 year old, 12x NBA All-Star runs the helm. He distributes to Devin Booker, arguably a top-three shooting guard in the league (26/4/5) who is seemingly back after some health issues. He is a good free throw shooter (86%) and good shooter all around (47%).
Deandre Ayton is the Suns starting center and he can play. The native of the Bahamas, Ayton is a beast down low. This season he is averaging over 10 rebounds a game and shooting 59% from the field.
So with Paul, Booker, Ayton and now Durant, that is a more than impressive “big 4”. But what else is going on in Phoenix?
Torrey Craig, who wore the number 3 for Milwaukee before being traded in that same 2020-2021 NBA Championship season, is the Sun’s current “5th man”. He was traded by the Bucks for cash considerations. Craig is a serviceable player. But his stats don’t jump off the page at you (7 points, 4 rebounds, one assists). The 32 year old will need to play better for them to win a championship.
Terrnence Ross was recently acquired on the buyout market. The left-hander Cameron Payne is the Sun’s back-up point guard. He is having one of his best seasons, averaging 12 points a game.
Things to tell your buddies as you are watching the game
- Devin Booker played his college ball for the University of Kentucky.
- Grayson Allen played his college ball for Duke. (Get those NCAA brackets wrapped up.)
- Phoenix leads the All-Time Series 76-73.
- If the playoffs were tomorrow Milwaukee would be in as the #1 seed. Phoenix would be in as the number #4 seed.
- The Milwaukee Bucks were founded in 1968. The Phoenix Suns were also founded in 1968.
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