It’s been a rocky West Coast trip for the Milwaukee Bucks, going 2-2 in the four games so far, but they have a chance to finish the road trip above .500 with a win against the Denver Nuggets. This is the second and final time these two out-of-conference foes will face each other, with the Bucks taking the last tilt in Milwaukee on February 27, 121-112. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Brook Lopez combined for 69 points for the Bucks, while Nikola Jokic had a 32-14-10 triple-double on three missed shots from the field (13/16).
Where We’re At
Things are not ideal for the Bucks. They lost their first of two games against the Phoenix Suns and their former head coach in Mike Budenholzer, 106-104. Questions are swirling once again about the Bucks’ fourth quarter offense and the horrible execution on the final out-of-bounds play with the Bucks down by two. They have now dropped to fifth in the East and are in a virtual tie with the Detroit Pistons. Now add into the mix that another Bucks star is out indefinitely due to a calf issue late in the season; this time it’s Dame who is being treated for deep vein thrombosis. While there is optimism among league sources that Dame will return this season, according to the American Heart Association, DVT treatments with low risk takes three months.
Meanwhile for the Denver Nuggets, they’re having their own injury issues to important players on their roster. Nikola Jokic has been out since their game against the Washington Wizards on March 15, and they’ve gone 2-3 since. After beating the Golden State Warriors, they’ve lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, and most recently to the Chicago Bulls. Jamal Murray had 28 points for Denver and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 17 rebounds, but Coby White and Josh Giddey combined for 63 points to push the Bulls over the Nuggets.
Injury Report
The big news for the Bucks is, of course, the fact that Damian Lillard will be out indefinitely. The Bucks put out a statement yesterday saying that he is already on blood thinners and will provide more updates when possible. Outside of Dame, Giannis is listed as questionable with a left foot sprain.
The three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is listed as doubtful with a left ankle impingement for the Nuggets. Julian Strawther and DaRon Holmes II are already listed as out as well for Denver. In good news for the Nuggets, Christian Braun is listed as probable with a left foot sprain, while Aaron Gordon is questionable while managing his right calf and a left ankle sprain.
Player To Watch
Gary Trent Jr. has been a joy to watch this season, especially after his early-season funk. In his last 10 games, he’s become the Bucks’ fourth leading scorer at 13.1 PPG with tremendous shooting splits of 41.3% from the field and 43.8% from three-point range. Trent matched a season high 23 points on March 20 against the Lakers on 6/10 shooting from three-point land and a perfect 5/5 from the free throw line. In the Bucks’ last tilt with the Nuggets, Trent had 15 points on 6/8 shooting and three steals.
How To Watch
FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and the following local stations at 8:00 p.m. CDT:
WMLW & WYTU (Milwaukee)
WISC (Madison)
WMEI (Green Bay)
WECX (Eau Claire/La Crosse)
WYOW (Wausau)
WQAD (Davenport, IA, Rock Island/Moline, IL)
Playback Streaming
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Game 72: qgainst the Nuggets, the Bucks will...
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