After having Christmas Day off for the first time in seven years, the Milwaukee Bucks will play the Brooklyn Nets at home on Thursday.
The Bucks players were surprised that their team was not chosen to play on Christmas. The Bucks were the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference last season and have one of the league’s top players, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“A lot of teams play on Christmas, so it’s not like it’s just two or four teams and we have to figure out who we’re going to pick in these spots,” said Bucks center Brook Lopez. “No, they have a lot of games on Christmas. So, yeah, I do think it’s disrespectful, but I don’t make the schedule. I don’t know how that happened.”
Instead, the Bucks are focusing on the struggling Nets, who have lost eight of their last 10 games.
Milwaukee won for the sixth time in its last seven games on Monday, when Khris Middleton and Lopez scored 21 points each in a 112-91 win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Bucks had a rough start to the season, losing eight of their first 10 games, but have started playing better recently. Their last two wins — against the Washington Wizards and Chicago — came without Antetokounmpo (back spasms, illness) and Damian Lillard (right calf strain, illness).
“It just tells you where we are now and where we were,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers. “I mean, early in the year, we wouldn’t have won either game. Now we’re not only winning games, we’re winning with a cushion. I thought defensively (Monday) it was maybe one of our best defensive efforts.”
Antetokounmpo and Lillard may not be available for the game against the Nets. With both out on Monday, forward Bobby Portis stepped up and scored 19 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had six assists.
Milwaukee is hoping to get its second straight win over the Nets after a 118-113 victory in Brooklyn on Dec. 8. Antetokounmpo scored 34 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, had four assists, and blocked three shots to help the Bucks come back from a 12-point deficit late in the third quarter.
The Nets, dealing with injuries, have not won much lately. They were outscored 52-38 in the second half of a 110-95 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday.
Cameron Johnson and Noah Clowney both scored 19 points to lead the Nets. Johnson has been playing well, averaging 22.8 points on 48.7% shooting in his last eight games.
“I’m just trying to contribute to the team to win,” said Johnson. “You know, that’s my job. That’s what I want to do. Nobody in here wants to lose everything. It sucks. So I’m just trying to do whatever I can do for it for our team to win.”
The Nets will be without Cam Thomas (strained left hamstring) and Ziaire Williams (sprained left knee) for Thursday’s game, and Dorian Finney-Smith (left calf contusion) is listed as questionable.
With these injuries, Clowney, a second-year forward, has gotten more playing time. He is averaging 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing different positions in his last three games.
“Just his versatility of yes, playing the five at times, but also playing whatever — one-through-four, or two-through-four — that just allows him to be on the court,” said Nets coach Jordi Fernandez. “He’s really helping himself, but most importantly is helping the team.”
