Recall that, despite all the off-court noise, actual professional basketball is still being played (you can debate the quality, but the fact is they’re still being paid!) by the Milwaukee Bucks, who return home tonight to face the Chicago Bulls. The Bucks are actually up 2-0 in the season series, taking them down pretty convincingly in early November and late December (Giannis’ first game back from his initial calf injury). Of course, Milwaukee had Giannis suited up in both contests and will not
tonight.
Where We’re At
You know what everyone is talking about regarding the Bucks, and it’s not exactly their current on-court product, which remains bad. They’ve lost eight of their last nine and enter the day on a five-game losing streak—three of those Ls have occurred since Giannis’ second calf injury. Myles Turner and Ryan Rollins have looked good at times after assuming command of the sinking ship, but the only things that will stop Milwaukee from taking on water start with a healthy Giannis and a Doc Rivers firing. Neither seems likely to happen in the coming weeks, and if the Bucks want a high lottery pick, maybe that’s not a bad thing in the short term.
Chicago is still doing their thing: toiling around just under .500 and at the back of the play-in race. It’s what the Bulls do. They’re coming off an odd scheduling quirk that had them face the Heat for three consecutive games, thanks to a rescheduling necessitated by damp court conditions at the United Center on January 8; Miami took two of the three, including a 43-point blowout on Sunday. The Bulls have see-sawed recently: a four-game win streak crested them above .500 for the first time since Thanksgiving, but dropping four of their ensuing five has them essentially right back where they started. The Miami “series” came without leading scorer Josh Giddey, who the Bucks won’t see tonight either.
Injury Report
Milwaukee remains without Giannis (calf strain) and Kevin Porter Jr. (oblique strain), both out indefinitely. Taurean Prince is still out, perhaps for the season, after neck surgery. They’re joined by Gary Harris, who will sit with a hamstring strain.
Chicago has a laundry list of injuries. The following Bulls are out: Zach Collins (toe sprain), Noah Essengue (shoulder surgery), Josh Giddey (hamstring strain), Tre Jones (ditto), and recently-acquired Dario Saric (hasn’t gotten in yet). Kevin Huerter (back spasms), Julian Phillips (wrist sprain), and Jalen Smith (calf injury management) are questionable.
Player To Watch
After a mid-January swoon, Ryan Rollins is back to normal with 66 points in his last three, to go with a beautiful .565/.615/.667 (just 6/9, though) shooting line. He’s also racked up 19 assists to just four turnovers in that span, with five steals. He had 20 in each of his other outings against Chicago this season, hitting some big shots and making a few key plays late to secure that December victory. Maybe he likes playing the Bulls? Watching him play is one of our few joys this year.
How To Watch
FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 7:00 p.m. CST.
