Can the Bucks rebound after a tough loss to Washington?
Being on a back-to-back isn’t going to help, but as the NBA regular season wraps up, Milwaukee could use some momentum.
The (47-28) Milwaukee Bucks take on the (25-50) Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday Night at home at the Fiserv. (It’ll be interesting to see how many fans do “the double”- seeing both the Brewers at noon and the Bucks at 6.) Milwaukee is heavily favored.
This is the second, and final, time these teams will play this season. Memphis has been eliminated from the NBA playoff hunt.
Milwaukee is favored by 12.5 points.
Against the Pistons on April 1st in a (110-108) win, the Grizzlies started: Jaren Jackson, Scottie Pippen Jr., Santi Aldama, Luke Kennard and GG Jackson. That is not a very good lineup.
Related: Giannis vs Ja- Giannis Pastoral
Milwaukee Bucks Keys to Victory
Get better play from their starters.
Milwaukee gave up 58 points to the Wizards in the 1st half in a loss. The Bucks started the first quarter with just a 1-point advantage. Against the (15-61) “trying to tank” Washington Wizards.
In that game Malik Beasley missed a few threes, Jae Crowder missed a wild three and Brook Lopez seemed off.
This team can not win if only Giannis is playing well. They do need scoring and defensive help from a few other guys.
Let’s see Milwaukee come out with some energy and play with some passion.
Related: Wizards vs Bucks Game Preview (4.2.24)
Score More in the 4th Quarter
Considering this team has had some memorable 4th quarter wins (Dame’s awesome shot against Sacramento anyone) this team has played quite flat lately in the 4th quarter. The 27 they scored last night against the Wizards is fine; the 16 points in a different Sacramento loss was a poor shooting.
The Bucks average 30.0 points a game in the 4th quarter. They need to make sure they are over that number.
The Opponent: The “Vancouver” Memphis Grizzlies
This continues to be a tough season for the Grizzlies. As a team that is “all in” on Ja Morant, they have had to live and die with his performance. He is out for the year.
The Grizzlies right now would have the 7th pick in the upcoming NBA draft. In the second round this team would pick 38th and 57th respectively.
What an interesting team?! This team really can’t score. They are the worst scoring team in the NBA (105.9 a game). Milwaukee is currently 3rd at (120.9).
They also are not a very good defensive team. They give up around 113.1 points a game.
So why do they have a better record than say, the Wizards or Raptors or Hornets?
It might come down to coaching and having two decent players.
Jaren Jackson Jr can play. His scoring is way up (22.3 points per game) and he is a good rebounder. He dropped 40 against Detroit in an April Fool’s Day win.
Santi Aldama is another player to watch for Memphis. The 22-year-old has been in the starting line-up quite a bit for the Griz and is an excellent scorer with his back to the basket.
Memphis has also been a decent road team (17-22).
Finally, this team tends to either lose big or win by a few points. The win against the Spurs was a “barn-burner”. The final score was 99-97. Many of their losses tend to be in double-digits.
Things to tell your buddies as you’re watching the game
- Memphis moved from Vancouver to Memphis in the 2001-2002 season. The first-ever expansion draft pick was current NBA commentator Greg Anthony. Blue Edwards of Milwaukee Bucks NBA Jam fame was also selected by Vancouver. At the time however, he was with the Utah Jazz.
- Justin Timberlake is a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies.
- Doc Rivers won NBA Head Coach of the Year in the 1999-2000 NBA season with the Orlando Magic.
- If you haven’t seen the “Crispy Brothers”, you should check them out. It turns out Doc Rivers and Justin Timberlake have an interesting connection. Check out the hit “I got Doc Rivers”.
- 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!
