THE BUCKS RUNDOWN
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks trampled the New Orleans Pelicans 136-111 at Fiserv Forum Thursday. This is their 6th straight win as they try to secure positioning for the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff fight. This was a much-needed win with only two games to go in the regular season for Milwaukee and only a slight edge over Detroit in the seeding.
Milwaukee hit the showers early in the fourth quarter as the Bucks routed a New Orleans team with only eight available players for the game. The Pelicans have dealt with injury and availability for much of this season, and tonight was no different, with a bare-bones squad that was unable to stop the Bucks on offense all night. Antetokounmpo posted yet another double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with another Kevin Porter Jr. 20-point game. KPJ also had seven assists and five steals; his play on defense has been stellar since coming to Milwaukee, showing it in full effect tonight.
The perimeter defense for Milwaukee played extremely well against New Orleans, ending the game with more steals than turnovers. The Bucks would end the game with 13 steals on the night, three off from the most in a game this season. They were also able to hold the short-handed Pelicans to just 32% shooting for the game. Their tight-knit defense was able to force 16 turnovers, among other errors that led to the 25-point blowout victory and their sixth straight win since losing four in a row earlier in March.
When asked about how this win adds to the level of urgency and confidence of the team heading into the playoffs, Giannis had this to say about his squad:
“We always keep composure no matter what time.. I love where we are right now, we just have to stay humbled. “
When asked about the difference between these final games and the playoffs, Antetokounmpo was quick to list how different it is.
“Regular season is totally different from the playoffs.. The intensity is higher, attention to detail is different, and the physicality is different.. But at the end of the day, it’s just basketball, states Antetokounmpo.
UPCOMING
Milwaukee has just two games before the playoffs kick off, both will be against the same team in a similar situation. The Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks will face off in Detroit on April 11th, and then again two days later in Milwaukee.
With Milwaukee barely hanging on to that 5th seed, the standings are far from being set, and these next two games could have major playoff implications. Depending on the outcomes of the next two New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers games, there could be big shifts across the standings in the Eastern Conference playoff fight.
Currently, the Bucks are ahead of the Pistons by two games, sitting at a 46-34 record to Detroit’s 44-36 record. Even with the Pistons’ improving immensely this season, they have struggled against Milwaukee, losing both matches and getting blown out in the previous one. Detroit is on an 11-game losing streak against the Bucks; they haven’t won a game against Milwaukee since January of 2022 and are 1-22 against them since 2018.
But this is a Detroit team that has picked up steam since the midway point in the season, no longer the same bad news Pistons, this Cade Cunningham squad has spunk. This team has the feel of a revived “Bad Boys” squad and should be treated as such if you’re Milwaukee. They have shown they can hang with the best, notching wins against each of the top three teams in the East. A feat the Milwaukee Bucks were not able to achieve this season.
Regardless of their negative record against the top teams in the East, Milwaukee can make up for it by ending the season on an eight-game winning streak and potentially turn some heads in the first round. If they stay as the 5th seed, Milwaukee will be poised to play the team that eliminated them in the first round of last season.
The Indiana Pacers, led by the All-Star point guard with ties to the Oshkosh area, Tyrese Haliburton, have been another team on a bit of a hot streak recently. If they want to make a push for another championship, they’re going to have to find a way to make it past this troublesome squad.
