Bucks look to rebound after rough performance against Cleveland yesterday
After a disappointing return to the regular season from the NBA Cup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Milwaukee Bucks will host the Washington Wizards at Fiserv Forum for the second time in three weeks. It was a tight battle the last time these two teams met with Washington keeping it close until there were two minutes left on the clock when Milwaukee finally pulled away. Giannis recorded an absurd 42-point, 12-rebound, and 11-assist triple-double, while Damian Lillard added 25 points and 10 assists.
Where We’re At
It was quite the reality check for the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs hit 20 three-pointers, and their entire starting lineup scored in double figures, with Donovan Mitchell leading the way for the Cavs at 27. Milwaukee, on the other hand, had just three: only Giannis (33), Khris Middleton (14), and Brook Lopez (10) reached that mark. Despite the loss, the Bucks are still the fifth seed in the East, just 1.5 games back of the Orlando Magic for fourth and 2.5 games back of the New York Knicks for the third seed.
Not much has changed for the Wizards since the last time these two sides met. Washington has the worst record and winning percentage (.160) in the league and only picked up their fourth win of the season on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets. Former Buck and Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon put up 25 points and six assists in 27 minutes off the bench, while Wisconsin native Jordan Poole led Washington with 27 points on 50% shooting from beyond the arc. The only major change is that they sent their veterans Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas to the bench in favor of rookie Carlton Carrington and third-year wing Justin Champagnie.
Injury Report
While the team hasn’t announced anything officially yet, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, it seems unlikely that Damian Lillard will be available against the Wizards tonight. A full injury report should come from the Bucks by 1 PM CST since they are on the SEGABABA.
Damian Lillard did not travel to Cleveland with the team. But even with that, it doesn’t sound like we should expect him to be available tomorrow night in Milwaukee vs. the Wizards.
Here is our full Q&A session about Lillard with Bucks coach Doc Rivers before tonight’s game: pic.twitter.com/1x3SvFsFlN
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 20, 2024
The Wizards will be without two of their wings. Saddiq Bey remains out for the season as he recovers from left ACL surgery, and Kyle Kuzma is still nursing a left rib strain.
Player To Watch
With the absence of Bey and Kuzma, the Wizards are looking to Justin Champagnie to fill some of the void, and he’s done an admirable job in that respect. Over his last five games, the undrafted wing out of Pitt has put up an average of 16 PPG, 9.2 RPG (leads the team over that sample), and is shooting almost 60% from the field (57.1%). In the Wizards’ win against the Nuggets on December 7, Champagnie put up 23 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Watch for him to be a factor on both ends of the floor against the Bucks.
Big 1st half for Justin Champagnie in his 2nd career NBA start:
15 pts (6-7 FG), 4 reb, blk, stl in 17 min. pic.twitter.com/Q4AwPwloqw
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) December 8, 2024
How To Watch
Fan Duel Sports Network Wisconsin at 7:00 PM CST.
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