This Monday, the (21-8) Milwaukee Bucks will travel to New Orleans, LA to take on the (18-11) New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff will be at 8:00 PM EST inside the Smoothie King Center. These two teams have had solid starts to the season, but this will be the first time that they have matched up.
The Bucks are coming into this game after defeating the Utah Jazz, 123-97. They looked incredible on both ends of the court, as they will have to stay efficient in this one if they want to challenge the Pelicans on the road.
The New Orleans Pelicans are entering this matchup after falling to the Phoenix Suns, 118-114. They fell apart in the fourth quarter of that game, as they had the lead consistently throughout. They will have to be better on the defensive end of the court if they want to take care of business at home.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference, as they are only .5 games back from the first-place Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 112.6 points per game and they are shooting 45.9% from the floor. This is the 17th most points scored per contest and the 22nd-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bucks have an adjusted offensive rating of 111.9, which is the 17th-highest rating in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 30.6 points per game on 52.7% shooting from the field. Make sure to check the injury report, though. He is currently listed as questionable with a knee injury. Milwaukee has also struggled to consistently knock down shots from behind the arc, as they have only made 35.2% of their shots from deep. This is the 17th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league, as they have been much m ore successful when they attack the basket. Milwaukee has also been horrible at the charity stripe, as they have only made 73.8% of their shots at the stripe. This is the 27th-highest team free-throw shooting percentage in the NBA. They have to take advantage of these free points if they want to consistently win these games.
On the defensive end of the court, the Bucks have been very difficult to score on. They are currently surrendering 108.4 points per game and allowing their opponents to shoot 44.9% from the floor. This is the second-lowest shooting percentage allowed and the fourth-least amount of points given up per game. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bucks have an adjusted defensive rating of 108.6, which is the second-lowest rating in the NBA. They have continued to contest shots near the paint and they have also closed out on open jump shooters. They are only allowing their opponents to shoot 34.6% from deep, which is the ninth-lowest three-poin t shooting percentage allowed in the league. Milwaukee has also snatched 48.6 rebounds per game, which is the second most. They have to secure the ball after missed shots if they want to keep the Pelicans from scoring second-chance points.
Injury Report: Kris Middleton SF (Knee) and Giannis Antetokounmpo SF (Knee) are listed as questionable. Joe Ingles SG (Knee) is out.
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