Bucks magic number for the No. 5 seed is two in their second-to-last home game
After one of the most historic fourth-quarter comebacks in franchise history, the Milwaukee Bucks will look to make it six wins in a row, this time hosting the New Orleans Pelicans at the Fiserv Forum. This is the second time this week these two non-conference opponents will play each other, with the Bucks taking the game in New Orleans on Sunday, 111-107. Gary Trent Jr led a Giannis-less Bucks with 29 points on 10/17 shooting from the field.
Where We’re At
What a difference five games make. After losing four in a row, with a 145-124 blowout to the Atlanta Hawks, the Bucks have seemingly turned it around with a five-game winning streak. Giannis Antetokounmpo won Eastern Conference Player of the Week and now has three straight triple-doubles. For those who believe in coincidences, Giannis was the only other player in Bucks franchise history to do so. What year you ask: the Bucks title season, 2021. They now enter the final three games of the season with the magic number of two to clinch the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. There is an outside chance of them climbing to a top-4 seed, but that would require the Bucks going 3-0 in their final three games (starting tonight) and the Indiana Pacers going 0-3 (starting tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers).
It’s been a season from hell for the Pelicans. After making it as the 8th seed after the Play-In tournament and losing in a sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder, things seemed to be on the upswing for New Orleans. Things have gone anything but, with them firmly in the race for Cooper Flagg at the top of the NBA Draft Lottery. The newly acquired Dejounte Murray tore his Achilles, Trey Murphy tore his labrum, Herb Jones tore his rotator cuff, and Jordan Hawkins had an annular fissure in his spine. In their last 10 games, they’ve gone 3-7, with wins over the Charlotte Hornets, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jose Alverado has taken over as the team’s new number-one scoring option since Zion Willaimson and CJ McCollum were shut down for the year. In the six games he’s played since that time, he’s averaging 15.2 points per game on 36.4% from the field and 28.9% from the three-point line.
Injury Report
It’s the four same players on the Milwaukee Bucks injury report, now that Bobby Portis is off his 25-game suspension. Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as probable with left shoulder tendinopathy, while Pat Connaughton is questionable with a right ankle sprain. Damian Lillard (right calf DVT) and Jericho Sims (right thumb UCL sprain) are both still out for Milwaukee.
The list of players out for the Pelicans is quite a bit longer than who could play, so we’ll start with the latter. Jose Alverado (right calf soreness), Bruce Brown (right knee soreness), and Yves Missi (left ankle sprain) are all questionable for New Orleans. Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, C.J. McCollum, Herb Jones, Jordan Hawkins, Brandon Boston, Trey Murphy, and Kelly Olynyk are all out for tonight’s festivities.
Player To Watch
Kevin Porter Jr had one of the best quarters in recent memory on Tuesday against the T’Wolves. In the fourth quarter alone, he had 12 points on 4/6 shooting, three rebounds, two assists, and an incredible four steals. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 16.4 points on nearly 50/40/90 shooting, (.545/.455/.895). The question with KPJ is consistency, and whether he keeps up these types of performances. History says that it will depend on if he can get going early, so be on the lookout for that.
How To Watch
FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 7:00 p.m. CDT.
Playback Streaming
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