Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Dec. 10 at Washington Wizards
The Milwaukee Bucks take on a struggling Washington Wizards team just one night after blowing a 20-point lead to the Atlanta Hawks.
Feb 11, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) backs down on Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) during the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks have had a very friendly schedule so far, but things will get tighter on Saturday night when Milwaukee takes on the Washington Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back on the road.
Luckily for the Bucks, they do have one clear advantage. The Wizards aren’t very good. Washington has talent in John Wall and Bradley Beal, but wins have not been rolling in for the 8-13 Wizards.
The team chemistry here is as weird as it’s always been, and injuries haven’t helped anything in Washington. Still, any time a team is playing they have a shot, especially with a star like Wall at the helm.
The Bucks can approach this game two ways. Milwaukee can get mad about their poor performance against the Hawks and take their anger out on the Wizards by jumping all over the struggling team.
Or, alternatively, Milwaukee can get down about that rough game the night before and play poorly again. In the past it was tough for the Bucks to get over their struggles, especially last season.
Hopefully this squad is mentally tougher, and able to bounce back easier. To figure out if the Bucks can triumph over Washington, we’ll look at major keys for both teams, a Wizard to watch and then make some predictions.
Feb 9, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) and guard Bradley Beal (3) chest bump in celebration during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Washington Wizards won111-108. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Major Key For Milwaukee: Guard The Guards
The Wizards aren’t going to win much of anything unless Wall and Beal can pop off for a ton of points. The supporting cast in Washington is fine, but it’s nothing to write home about. Without the star guards going off, the Wiz are easy to stop.
Unfortunately for the Bucks, stopping guards was not something they were capable of just one night earlier against Atlanta. Dennis Schroder dropped a career-high 33 points on Matthew Dellavedova and the rest of Milwaukee’s defense.
If John Wall and Brad Beal are able to run all over Milwaukee’s defense, this game could go south just like the last one did. They may not be the most intimidating team, but the Wizards are dangerous as long as they keep their backcourt together.
Wall has dropped 52 points once already this season, and Beal has a 42 point game. If Milwaukee’s defense is as suspect as it was against the Hawks there’s a chance one, or both, of them could go off again.
Nov 19, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Michael Beasley (9) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Major Key For Washington: Stagger Lineups
It’s becoming impossible to play all-reserve lineups against the Bucks bench. Some of the reason is because bench is a misleading term, considering either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jabari Parker is on the floor for most of Milwaukee’s minutes.
But Milwaukee’s best two five-man groups to play at least 30 minutes together have included both of Michael Beasley and Greg Monroe. One of those groups includes Giannis, one includes Jabari.
The bench duo has been incredibly effective this season. Monroe’s above-average passing and his strong defense combined with Beasley’s effective rebounding and scoring have formed a potent two-man punch that’s helped propel the Bucks forward this season.
If the Wizards try to roll out bench players against Milwaukee’s second unit, the game could get out of hand, especially if the Bucks already had the lead. The Bucks have outscored the opposition by 73 points with Giannis on the floor, which is the highest mark on the team.
Next up? You guessed it, Monroe and Beasley. Milwaukee has outscored opponents by 64 points when Moose is out there, and the Bucks have beaten teams by 36 points with Beasley on the floor. These two both had very little expectations coming in, but they’ve been great.
Dec 8, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) attempts a shot against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 92-85. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Player To Watch: John Wall
John Wall is not in a happy place right now. Buzz around the NBA that trading him and rebuilding might be a good option for the Wiz is building, and his team continues to lose games despite his Herculean efforts on a near-nightly basis.
Still, Wall is not to be taken lightly. Far too often Wall gets written off as a pass-first point guard, as though that means he’s not an effective player who can win games in the modern NBA. The wins aren’t coming, but that’s not on Wall.
For the second straight year, Wall is making strides in his three-point shooting. He’s now up to 37.1 percent on 3.7 threes per game. Those aren’t Stephen Curry numbers, but with Wall’s speed and passing ability they’ll do just fine.
Even if Wall goes off, the Wizards might not win. They lost in the game where he dropped 52 points earlier this season. Still, they’ll likely need him to do well to have a shot in this game.
Dec 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) makes a move to the basket past Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) during the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. Orlando Magic defeated Washington Wizards 124-116. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Finale
The Milwaukee Bucks could really use a win here. It’s still early, but the season is now about a quarter done with. These games matter, especially when they’re against other Eastern Conference teams.
With their loss on Friday, the Bucks dropped into a tie with the Detroit Pistons for the seventh seed in the East. There’s still time for almost everything about the standings to change, but the Bucks can’t afford to drop more easy wins if they really want to make the playoffs.
As dangerous as Wall and Beal are, the Wizards are not a good team. Milwaukee should take advantage and get another win here. The schedule will get tougher soon, and those games will be a lot harder to win than this one.
Predictions and Leaderboard:
Adam Coffman: Bucks by 2 — 15-5, 206 point differential
Rohan Katti: Bucks by 6 — 15-5, 213 point differential
Tom Pheister: Bucks by 9 — 14-7, 222 point differential
Jordan Treske: Wizards by 11 — 14-7, 242 point differential
Lukas Harkins: Bucks by 9 — 13-8, 204 point differential
Ti Windisch: Bucks by 3 — 12-9, 208 point differential
Adam McGee: Wizards by 9 — 12-9, 230 point differential
Tim Wray: Bucks by 5 — 12-9, 236 point differential
The game is on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. CT, and will be televised on Fox Sports Wisconsin.
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