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| 013/14 NBA Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
vs. |  |
| November 13, 2013 | ||
| Amway Center | Orlando, FL | ||
| 6:00 CT | ||
| FS Wisconsin | 620 WTMJ / Audio League Pass | ||
| Probable Starters | ||
| Nate Wolters | PG | Jameer Nelson |
| O.J. Mayo | SG | Arron Afflalo |
| Caron Butler | SF | Mo Harkless |
| Khris Middleton (?) | PF | Jason Maxiell |
| John Henson (?) | C | Nikola Vucevic |
| 2013/14 Advanced Stats | ||
| 92.6 (22nd) | Pace | 97.2 (9th) |
| 101.7 (22nd) | ORtg | 102.2 (19th) |
| 107.6 (25th) | DRtg | 101.3 (7th) |
On the Magic: Orlando Pinstriped Post | Magic Basketball
Update: The Bucks will dress only 8 players tonight due to a variety of ailments.
Tonight Brandon Knight (sore right hamstring), Zaza Pachulia (sore right foot) and Gary Neal (sore left foot) are out. #MILvORL
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 13, 2013
Lined up. While the Bucks went with a small starting lineup to counter the Lebron-at-PF matchup last night in Miami, I'm just going to assume that Larry Drew reunites John Henson and Zaza Pachulia tonight in Orlando. The Bucks' small, terrestrial-based starting lineup predictably offered zero rim protection against a rampaging LeBron James (33 points in three quarters) and company, as the first quarter looked more like a Miami layup line than anything. Henson (18 points on 10 shots) and some nice garbage time minutes from Giannis Antetokounmpo (11 points, 4 rebs, 3/5 threes) were the only real highlights in yesterday's demolition at the hands of the Heat.
Arrested development. While the Bucks have dropped their last two and face the Pacers and Thunder next, Orlando has dropped three straight and will face the Heat twice in the next week. Both teams are dealing with a slew of injuries, and things may get worse before they get better for both, which is why both will be desperate to claim victory tonight. Orlando most recently lost to the surging Celtics in Boston, surrendering 24 points to the usually offense-less Avery Bradley. Considering their next opponents, whichever team loses tonight figures to have the East's worst record by week's end.
Bucks tormentor Tobias Harris has yet to play this season due to a badly sprained ankle, and as of yesterday he estimated he was still a couple weeks from returning to the court. Fellow former Buck Doron Lamb is similarly unavailable due to an ankle sprain, while Glen Davis and Solomon Jones are also out. Nikola Vucevic (15.6 ppg, 11.5 rpg) and Arron Afflalo (19.5 ppg) are not surprisingly leading the way in the early going, with promising sophomores Andrew Nichoson, Kyle O'Quinn and Maurice Harkless also contributing off the bench early. Second overall pick Victor Oladipo has flashed plenty of promise as well, though his poor efficiency numbers (47.5% true shooting, 11.4 PER, -0.10 WS/48) underscore the learning process he's going through playing both backcourt positions.