The Milwaukee Bucks are going to the playoffs. The Washington Wizards are not. In this meeting between two Eastern conference teams with completely different destinations, which will come out on top this Tuesday? Check out our preview of this game below.
The gap between the Bucks and the Wizards this season is large enough to build another Disney World on. That’s still a fair assessment despite the fact that the Bucks defeated Washington by just three points (137-134) in these teams’ last meeting back in February in the nation’s capital. However, the biggest reason why the Bucks had a hard time winning in that game will not be there on the floor this Tuesday. Bradley Beal, who scored 55 points against the Bucks in that February meeting, is not playing in Orlando, leaving Washington without its best scorer and arguably its best player. It should also be mentioned that the Bucks defeated the Wizards last January at home, 151-131, without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a shoulder injury. Khris Middleton made up for the Greek Freak’s absence by exploding for 51 points to go with seven 3-pointers.
The Bucks are 3-1 against the spread in their last four meetings with the Wizards.
Although the Wizards are still winless after six games in the Orlando bubble, Washington head coach Scott Brooks made it clear that winning is still on their mind after their 121-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. “We’re all in to win,” said Brooks after the game, per ESPN. It’s one thing to want to win, though, and it’s another to actually have the right people to beat a team like the Bucks. With Beal out, the Wizards are missing a lethal offensive force that also scored 47 points in the January loss to the Bucks. This also means that the load will be heavier on the likes of Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr., and Jerome Robinson. Bryant is leading the Wizards in the bubble with 20.0 points per game to go with a 38.5 percent shooting from deep and 53.3 percent shooting from the field.
