The Milwaukee Bucks are in the midst of a little bit of a slide
The (25-12) Milwaukee Bucks take on the (29-8) Boston Celtics at 6:30 CST on TNT. The game is at home at the “beer keg”, the Fiserv. Milwaukee has not had a good January; certainly not as good as their 12-2 December. But the show goes on and it is back to “Dame Time”. Lillard plans to play.
Of course the Damian Lillard vs Jrue Holiday match-up will get a ton of the headlines as it should. But the Jaylan Brown’s and Malik Beasley’s will probably matter just as much. Also, it appears the Celtics will be without Kristaps Porzingis.
Vegas has the Bucks at a 45% chance to win but also as 4 point favorites. The over/under is 243. The Milwaukee Bucks are the favorite because Boston is on a back-to-back. The Celtics defeated the Timberwolves (127-120) on Wednesday Night. The Bucks last played, and lost, to the Utah Jazz at home on Monday night.
For Milwaukee to win they will need to be able to do three important things.
Related: Giannis Pastoral: Wisconsin’s Greatest Living Athlete is Right in front of you
Milwaukee Bucks keys to Victory
Defense! Defense! Defense!
The Bucks were 4th last season in “defensive rating”.
This season, using the same metric, they are 21st. So we all get it: this team is not as strong defensively. But can this be a game where it starts to click?
Boston can score; they just can’t score like Milwaukee can score. Boston averages 121 points a game while Milwaukee averages 124. Maybe a good offense is a strong defense?
If the Bucks can play with more defensive intensity, at home, they will have a good chance to win. And they really should play hard. From the frustration Giannis has been speaking out with to the lackluster January the team has had, especially on the road, you have to think that this team is going to play with some increased defensive intensity.
Keep Rebounding the Ball as a Team
Last season the Milwaukee Bucks were a team that rebounded the ball well (they led the NBA in team rebounding) and then transitioned that rebound out to Giannis who would drive and kick to an open three point shooter. Or he’d just take the ball in and score.
This year has certainly been different.
Now Milwaukee is inconsistent in how they approach team-rebounding. They are 11th in the NBA in terms of team rebounding (44.1) Last season they had 48.6 team rebounds a game, good for best in the NBA.
Guess who leads the NBA in team rebounding this season? The Boston Celtics at (47.6) per game.
Against the Jazz, in an ugly loss, the Milwaukee Bucks managed 38 team rebounds. Yuck!
If you control the glass you can control the tempo of the game. If Milwaukee can hang with a Celtics team that really can rebound, that might be an inflection point on the season.
Related: Should the Bucks bring back Darvin Ham?
It’s Time to Shine
The Bucks have a global star in Giannis and a new global star in Damian Lillard. Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez are great players as well. Giannis averages 30 points a game. Let’s see if he can go over that number.
That goes for the role players too. Pat Connaughton and MarJon Beauchamp could stand to sink a few threes. If Portis or Beasley can step out with a solid double-double the Bucks have a great chance.
The Opponent: The Boston Celtics
Boston has established itself as the clear #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics had a strong season last year, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat in seven games. Because of that loss, just like how Milwaukee lost to The Heat, the team decided to shake things up a little.
Gone are Marcus Smart and Grant Williams: in is Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. To get Porzingis the Celtics gave up the 2023 1st round pick, Marcus Smart, and Mike Muscala. Muscala, for whatever reason, seemed to give the Bucks fits last year.
Speaking of giving teams fits, Jason Tatum is having another MVP caliber season. He is averaging 28/8/5. He is also in a big media market on a team that got off to a hot start. (Thank you Bill Simmons)
Jaylen Brown is also playing well. (23/5/3) Along with Tatum, Brown plays a nice role as a slasher/scorer.
Derek White is the new “spark plug” for Boston. He starts and makes up a good defensive back court with Holiday. White is also a point guard which means Boston plays with a true shooting guard. But when you have Tatum and Brown that is actually a good thing.
AL Horford is still around and playing well. He has started in three games this year.
Boston so far is the best rebounding team in the NBA ( 47.4 a game). They also are fourth in the NBA in points scored (120.1).
Things to tell your buddies as you are watching the game
- The greatest NBA Rebounder might have been Dennis Rodman. Rodman, in his career, averaged over 13 rebounds a game.
- It seems like when the Bucks win (and Brewers too) the song that gets played at the end of the game is “You Make My Dreams”. What would be the ultimate “game winner song” that should be played after a Bucks win?
- The Celtics lead the all-time series 117-110.
- The Celtics record, all-time, is 3599-2470. They have the most recorded wins in NBA history.
- Follow me on Twitter at @authorrudylb and check out my other writings at www.rudylb.com. Follow us at @WiSportsHeroics! For all things Wisconsin sports, click here! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!
