The Essentials:
Wizards (9-17) vs. Bucks (12-14)
8 p.m.
Bradley Center
TV: CSN
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
Notable Bucks numbers this season
14th in expected winning percentage (.524)
12th in pace (93.3 possessions per game)
25th in offensive efficiency/offensive rating (103)
4th in defensive efficiency/defensive rating (102.3)
Pre-game links
Brew Hoop, SB Nation's Milwaukee Bucks blog
Bucksketball, a Bucks blog
Brew Hoop's game thread
Michael Lee: The Other Side: Bucks
GameDay Bucks
| Tonight's Projected Starters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wizards | vs. | Bucks |
| Gilbert Arenas | PG | Brandon Jennings |
| Randy Foye | SG | Michael Redd |
| Caron Butler | SF | Carlos Delfino/Luc Richard Mbah A Moute |
| Antawn Jamison | PF | Ersan Ilyasova |
| Brendan Haywood | C | Andrew Bogut |
A couple apologies before we start. First, I'm traveling up to Massachusetts for a family thing the next few days, and I'm not sure they have wireless Internet, so Wizards watching could be sporadic. Also, because I've been traveling today, I'm writing this at 3 p.m. and I've only had one other short window to write (that's where the recap happened). There's been a ton of good content today on the site -- I strongly recommend you scroll down and read bwoodsxyz's latest -- so if you're the type that doesn't always go below the fold, I recommend it today.
As for tonight's game - this is a pretty brutal back-to-back situation. From Washington to Milwaukee, all to play a team on an extended homestand. It's also Milwaukee, a particularly annoying team to play on the second game of a back-to-back because they scratch and claw the whole game. They're physical and they're scrappy, so it's very easy to get caught playing them. Let's hope that doesn't happen tonight.
Milwaukee's a classic Scott Skiles team -- cerebrial, great on defense, but at the expense of offense. Brandon Jennings has cooled off, though I still love his game, and Michael Redd has come back verrryyy slowly. The rest of the team tends to shoot a bunch of mid-range jumpers, which isn't particularly efficient. On the other hand, good luck getting a clean look against these guys. They contest shots like crazy and funnel all penetration into Andrew Bogut, the most underrated defensive presence in the league (probably just as underrated as Brendan Haywood, if not more).
It'll be interesting to see how the guys respond to a team that will push and claw. Do they attack the rim the same way they did in the fourth quarter against the 76ers? How does Antawn Jamison respond to his benching? All interesting questions to wonder about.
GO WIZARDS!