The 21-8 Milwaukee Bucks take on the 18-11 New Orleans Pelicans to start a five game road trip. This five game trip includes the vaulted first meeting of the year between Boston and Milwaukee on Christmas Day. Right now the Bucks are in a mathematical dead heat for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference with Boston.
Khris Middleton is out, however Joe Ingles is expected to play. Rumors abound that Middleton might have suffered another serious knee injury.
The Bucks have been pretty up and down lately, winning three of their last five. New Orleans has lost their last three.
Vegas has the Bucks at a 52% chance to win and 1 ½ point favorites. The over/under is 230. Because of the way the Bucks lost in Memphis everyone is waiting on bated breath to see how they’ll play on the road. The team really could use some juice and a road victory.
Bucks Keys to Win
Rebound the Ball
Right now Milwaukee is second in the NBA in team rebounding with 48.6 rebounds per game. (Memphis is 1st- 49.1) This number speaks more to how the Bucks play as a team and how they play with toughness. For Milwaukee, when Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez average over 18 rebounds between them, they win.
There is close to a two-rebound per game difference in home games vs road games for Milwaukee. For Milwaukee to win this game, they’ll need to be at/above that 50 rebound number. For New Orleans, Jonas Valanciunas will have something to say about that.
Get better play from their starters
The Bucks got stronger starter play against the Jazz and won. They got horrible play from their starters against Memphis and lost. Jrue Holiday seems to be back from illness. Giannis has also been up and down. Brook Lopez seems to be down; so does Grayson Allen. In this game, facing a team that is 12-3 at home, the Bucks need to establish a quick run at the start of the game. Cue the starters.
Who guards Zion Williamson? Is it Giannis? If it is, Giannis will need to focus more on defense and take pride in that part of his game. Zion can score (25.5 points per game). That match-up will be a fun one all night.
The Opponent: New Orleans _____”Jazz/Hornets”______ Pelicans
This team has had quite a few different names. But they’ve always come out of the West.
New Orleans is another fast-paced, fun, high scoring team in that Western Conference built to keep up with the Golden State Warriors. (See Memphis and Phoenix.) They average 117 points a game, shoot a ton, and make a ton, of threes and generally play undisciplined basketball.
Zion Williamson is back. He plays like a brute, driving the ball hard into the basket to draw contact. The Duke product has struggled with his foot in recent seasons but seems healthy now.
Brandon Ingram is out. He is the silky smooth compliment to Zion.
Really, CJ McCollum has been the glue that seems to hold the Pelicans together. Ever since coming over from Portland he has been the floor general this team has needed. Their fifth starter has been different most nights. Expect to see a lot of their first round pick from last year Trey Murphy III. The Virginia product shoots well at home. (Over 50% from the field.) And again, they are 12-3 at home so this is a tough team.
Things to tell your buddies as you’re watching the game
- While the Jazz started out as the New Orleans Jazz in 1974, moving to Utah in 1979, the New Orleans Pelicans started out as the New Orleans Hornets. They then had to move to Oklahoma City for two split seasons after damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Finally, in 2013 they ended up as the New Orleans Pelicans.
- Glenn Robinosn, like Zion Willaimson for New Orleans, was a number one overall pick for the Bucks in the 1994 NBA draft.
- Glenn Robinon’s son, Glenn Robinson III, won the NBA Dunk competition in 2017.
- This is the start of a five game road trip for the Bucks. They play some tough teams (Cleveland, Brooklyn, Boston and Chicago) next. This will be a good test for the squad heading into 2023.
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!
1 Comment
I’m hopeful the Bucks can go 3-2 on this trip.