Jim Owczarski on noticeable changes with Bucks since coaching switch
Jim Owczarski gives his take on how the Bucks have changed since a coaching switch, and what can Milwaukee do at the upcoming trade deadline?
PHOENIX – The Milwaukee Bucks look to conclude their five-game, nine-day road trip with a victory when they take on the Phoenix Suns tonight at 9 p.m. CT at the Footprint Center.
Phoenix took a 79-73 after the third quarter and led by as many as nine points, but Milwaukee stayed connected with continued strong defense. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 24 points.
Milwaukee took a 49-48 lead on Phoenix into halftime as both teams struggled mightily to make shots. The Suns shot 11% from behind the three-point line and the Bucks shot 28% from distance. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 14 points to lead the Bucks while Devin Booker had 16 for the Suns.
Khris Middleton exits game with injury
The Bucks lost all-star forward Khris Middleton to a left ankle sprain less than nine minutes into the game but took a 23-22 first quarter lead on the Suns thanks to eight points from Malik Beasley and some tough defense. Before he got hurt, Middleton added six points.
Booker has 11 first quarter points for the Suns.
Doc Rivers began coaching the team at the start of the trip on Jan. 29, and the team has gone 1-3. At 33-17 overall and 12-12 on the road, the Bucks have slipped to No. 3 in the Eastern Conference behind Boston and Cleveland.
The Suns have won seven of their last 10 games and are 29-21 overall behind the star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
What time and channel are the Bucks on?
Tuesday night’s game is on TNT and scheduled for a 9 p.m. CT start. Brian Anderson, Grant Hill and Jared Greenberg will be on the call.
Is Giannis playing?
Yes, he is starting. The Bucks’ MVP candidate began the day listed as probable to play with right patellar tendinitis. He played through the injury on Sunday in Utah.
Damian Lillard ruled out for Bucks with ankle injury
Damian Lillard began Tuesday as questionable to play with a left ankle sprain, as he was clearly limping heading into the fourth quarter against the Jazz on Sunday. But throughout that game, in which Lillard played 38 minutes, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said he thought about pulling the all-star point guard at various points of the game.
So after shootaround in Phoenix, Rivers said the team decided it would be best for Lillard to rest his ankle. The Bucks don’t play again until Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.
“He wanted to go,” Rivers said pregame. “I just, to me, why? His foot’s sore. It’s game (50). If it was a playoff game he would play. With this group, I told you, my feeling is we want to get to the playoffs, we want to get right first as a team, which we have work to do. And we gotta be healthy.”
This is just the fourth game Lillard has missed this season and his first since a Jan. 8 loss to Utah. The Bucks also lost games against Indiana (Nov. 9) and Orlando (Nov. 11) without him.
In his 47 games, Lillard is averaging 24.9 points per game on 42.5% shooting, including a 34.7% clip from behind the three-point line. He’s also handing out 6.8 assists per game.
Rivers navigating a unique Bucks trade deadline
As his players took to the Footprint Center court for their usual pregame warmups Tuesday evening, Doc Rivers knew some of them might be dealing with the impending trade deadline in their own way. Rivers has played and coached through over three decades of trade deadlines, but his issue is that being less than two weeks into the job he wasn’t sure how guys were being affected by it in the run up to the 2 p.m. deadline on Thursday.
“Obviously with the deadline coming up, I hate the deadline as a coach because some players are nervous and some players aren’t,” he said. “And you gotta try to figure out, because everyone — it’s like when you come in a huddle and you ask a player which way you wanna go, 100% are going to say I can go either way. And we all know in this room half of them can’t go but one way, left or right, but they’re always going to say either way. It’s the same thing with that. I don’t know the guys, and so I’m trying to figure out who is it affecting? And, they all say ‘I’m good,’ but you know that’s not true.
“It’s a tough stretch. The whole league goes through it. I’m very happy the day after, ’cause now you know who you have.”
Bucks injury report
- Damian Lillard, out (left ankle sprain)
- Brook Lopez, out (personal reasons)This is the third straight game Lopez will miss due to personal reasons.Rivers: Everything’s great. He’s just at home. Family first. I’m a big believe in that. So, in the long run that’s going to pay more dividends. Happy wife…you guys know the rest.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, probable (right patellar tendinitis)
- Andre Jackson Jr., probable (right wrist sprain)
Bucks probable starting lineup
- Guards: Pat Connaughton, Malik Beasley
- Forwards: Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Center: Robin Lopez
Bucks vs. Suns odds, over/under
Phoenix is a 3.5-point favorite over Milwaukee and the over/under is 243.5 points per BetMGM.