Milwaukee is resting just about everyone
A Rest Day for Milwaukee
The 58-22 Milwaukee Bucks take on the 50-30 Memphis Grizzlies Friday Night at home. The Fiserv Forum should be rocking! It should be a celebration of the Bucks clinching the number one seed. The game tips off at 7pm. This will be Memphis’s only visit to Milwaukee unless they meet in the NBA finals.
The Bucks are coming off a great win against Chicago to clinch the number one seed. Now, the team is taking a day, resting pretty much everyone. It’ll be slim pickings for the team. But, on a personal note, I’ve got tickets and will be there so; it’s always a pleasure to watch the greatest basketball team on Planet Earth.
Celebrate good times! Right?! Middleton needs time to heal up his sore knee- Giannis plays so hard so you shut him down- Lopez has that stiff back. A week off might do some of these guys wonders.
Out for Milwaukee:
Brook Lopez (C ) – Rest
Pat Connaughton (SG)- Ankle
Jrue Holiday (PG)- Rest
Khris Middleton (SF)- Knee
Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF) – Knee
Grayson Allen (SG) – Ankle
So, it looks like it is the Bobby Portis show!
Related: Giannis vs Ja- Giannis Pastoral
Bucks keys
Have some fun and shoot!
The Bucks are 7th in the NBA in scoring (117.1 points per game). Defensively they only give up around 112 points per game, hence their pretty strong record. So, shoot yourself hot I guess!
Over the past five games the Bucks have averaged 130.2 points. In this space we really have figured it out- the magic number is 118. Utah scores 116, we score more and win. In Milwaukee’s last loss to Indiana they simply let the second half run away from them. So, had the Bucks managed to play better defense, the 123 points they scored would have been enough.
Milwaukee averages over 60 points in the first half in games this year. That’s also 7th in the NBA.
Since some different guys are going to have some different opportunities, it’ll be time to open it up.
Win the rebounding battle
The Bucks are really doing a nice job this season controlling the glass. So is Memphis. The Bucks are number one in the NBA in team rebounding (48.9). Memphis is second at 46.9 boards per game. If Milwaukee can really control the glass, and therefore the tempo, that would really help in front of the home crowd.
Steven Adams is the leading rebounder for Memphis but seems to have been shut down for the year. (Knee). Giannis is the leading rebounder for Milwaukee; he is also out.
If a Milwaukee player leads the game in rebounding, I bet they win. Same goes for Memphis; if they have a player lead the game in rebounding odds are they’ll win. Then again, they are 2 point favorites on the road.
The Opponent: The “Vancouver” Memphis Grizzlies
Well, this has been a pretty wild season for the Grizzlies. Could you even imagine Giannis or Jrue or Khris at a club at 5am with a gun?
What an interesting team?! The Grizzlies are loaded with young, long wings. Dillion Brooks for example has averaged 21 points and 3 rebounds in his career against the Bucks. Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson can also play and score. Memphis really took some draft capital and invested in that position. It has truly paid off. And those guys aren’t even named Ja Morant.
Morant was in the MVP conversation, averaging 27.7 points per game and 7.7 assists. He is an eclectic player who can really push the tempo of a game. He rebounds well for a point guard averaging over 6 ½ boards a game.
Tyus Jones is a back-up point guard who would certainly start for a lot of teams.
Santi Aldama is another player to watch for Memphis. The 21 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.
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.
- Khris Middleton went to Texas A+M and played basketball there, averaging only 11.3 points, 4 rebounds and two assists per game. It goes without saying his NBA career continues to be much more prolific.
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