Two of NBA's hottest teams collide as Bucks host Clippers
Could we be witnessing a 2020 NBA Finals preview Friday night?
Milwaukee, the top team in the Eastern Conference, hosts the Los Angeles Clippers at Fiserv Forum in a clash between two of the hottest teams in the NBA.
The Bucks have won 13 straight games, the franchise’s fourth-longest in team history and best in 46 years. Los Angeles, on the other hand, has won nine of its last 10 contests.
Over the last three games alone, the Bucks have outscored their opponents by 24+ points and have racked up 125+ points in each.
But Friday night might mark the end of Milwaukee’s blowout run.
Like the Bucks with reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Los Angeles is led by star power. The Clippers made the biggest splash in the offseason by signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George.
But also like Milwaukee, what makes Los Angeles so dangerous is the production it gets from the bench.
The Clippers’ bench leads the NBA in minutes (112.4), points (53.9), rebounds (22.3) and field goals (19.8) per game.
Those numbers aren’t too shocking considering Los Angeles has two-time defending sixth man of the year Lou Williams scoring 21.1 points per game. But the biggest surprise this season has been Montrezl Harrell, a former second-round pick acquired by Los Angeles in the Chris Paul trade back in 2017.
Harrell, a 6-foot-7 center, is posting a career-best 19.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest off the bench for the Clippers.
Milwaukee’s bench, of course, is no slouch either.
The Bucks’ reserves rank second in minutes (104.3), rebounds (20.7) and 3-pointers (6.4) per game and score the seventh-most points per contest (41.7).
George Hill leads that second-unit attack, as he’s resurrected his career in Milwaukee by shooting an absurd 52.5% from 3-point range (32 of 61) this season.
So, although this game will be previewed as another matchup between stars Antetokounmpo and Leonard, it really could be decided by the benches.
NOTABLE
-- Milwaukee tops the NBA with 51.8 rebounds per game, and the Clippers slot in at second with 49.0.
-- Antetokounmpo and Harrell rank first and second on baskets scored via layups and dunks.
-- The Clippers’ Patrick Patterson scores 82.9% of his points via the 3-ball, which leads the NBA. Milwaukee’s Kyle Korver comes in right behind Patterson with an 82.1% mark.
-- Statistics courtesy Sportradar, basketball-reference.com
