Following Giannis’ injury in Monday night’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum had two distinct paths. One was post-apocalyptic—Giannis is out
long-term, and tonight’s game matters only as an opportunity for Bucks players to drive stakes into the ground and proclaim that they are a core part of the franchise moving forward. The other was a test of resilience. Backs are against the wall, but the Bucks just have to hold down the fort, fight off the charge, and survive the night. Fight like dogs until the cavalry arrives, and then go on a rampage of their own. With news that Giannis will miss only 1-2 weeks, thank the heavens it’s the latter.
Where We’re At
Even without the injury to Giannis, recent times have been tough for the Bucks, losing three out of four, with the only win coming in overtime versus the Charlotte Hornets. The Bucks have been porous on defence, giving up an average of 120.5 PPG in that span, and outside of Giannis and Rollins—Myles Turner to a degree, Gary Harris at a stretch—there haven’t been many positives to grasp onto. Now in need of a scoring punch, hopefully tonight is a kick-starter for Gary Trent Jr., whose play has brought back memories nightmares of last year’s early goings—his -21.3 plus/minus over the last four is 10.8 points worse than the second-worst rated Buck, Cole Anthony (who’s shooting just 25% from the field and 17% from three during this stretch). Woof.
After winning their first four games of the season—and five out of six—the 76ers have similarly come back down to earth, essentially trading wins and losses since then. Tyrese Maxey has continued his red-hot start to the season, averaging career highs in points (31.9), rebounds (4.7), and assists (7.8), and will command every bit of Rollins’ defensive acumen if the Bucks are going to grind out a win. Maxey has been well supported by explosive rookie VJ Edgecombe, and wings Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr., who are all putting up over 15 points a night. However, the 76ers continue to manage the injury-plagued duo of Joel Embiid and Paul George, who have played just six and one games, respectively, though our friends at Liberty Ballers are cautiously optimistic about what they can add to the team.
Injury Report
For the Bucks, Giannis (left adductor; strain), Taurean Prince (neck; surgery) and Kevin Porter Jr. (right knee; meniscus surgery) are all out.
For the 76ers, Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee; LCL strain) and Adem Bona (right ankle sprain) are out. Joel Embiid (right knee; injury management) and Paul George (left knee; injury recovery) both sat out the front leg of their back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors and are questionable.
Player To Watch
Just two months ago, Trent was ranked as the Bucks’ third most important player and, after what he did in the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, many projected him to be the team’s second-leading scorer. Averaging just 10.2 PPG on under 40% from the field and having been relegated to the bench, it’s safe to say he hasn’t lived up to the hype. Now, in the absence of Giannis (and Porter), it’s imperative for the Bucks that Trent improves his play. So, sans Giannis, does Doc put Trent back into the starting line-up and move Kyle Kuzma to the four? With a net rating of -25.8 (per Basketball Reference), the data on this five-man line-up suggests that wouldn’t be wise. Of course, Rivers might opt to keep Kuzma at the three and insert Bobby Portis at the four, though this leaves the bench very short on size. Considering this, perhaps a Turner, Portis, Trent, AJ Green, and Rollins line-up suits best. It only has a small sample size—just 8:31 minutes of playing time—but this group does have a +34.3 net rating. At this point, the Bucks only have so many oranges, so they need to squeeze them for whatever juice they’ve got.
How To Watch
FanDuel Sports Wisconsin at 7:00 p.m. CST.
