Nuggets vs. Bucks Preview | Bucks look to pick up the pieces in the first game of the post-Gary Neal

2013/2014 NBA Season
(24-28, 10-16 road)	vs.	(10-43, 6-21 road)
February 21, 2014
BMO Harris Bradley Center | Milwaukee, WI
8:00 CT
FS Wisconsin | 620 WTMJ
Probable Starters
Randy Foye	PG	Brandon Knight
Evan Fournier	SG	Nate Wolters
Wilson Chandler	SF	Khris Middleton
Kenneth Faried	PF	Ersan Ilyasova
J.J. Hickson	C	Zaza Pachulia
2012/13 Advanced Stats
97.0 (4th)	Pace	91.8 (25th)
106.1 (15th)	ORtg	99.4 (29th)
107.6 (21st)	DRtg	109.4 (30th)

On the Nuggets: Denver Stiffs / Roundball Mining Co. / Denver Post / Nugg Love

Nuggets update. Two weeks after falling 110-100 in Denver, the Bucks welcome the Nuggets to the BC tonight looking for their first winning streak of the season--again. The Bucks were coming off an emotional win over Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks when they rolled into Denver on February 5, but a late rally fell short to deny them a two-game winning streak for the ninth time in as many tries.

The Bucks odds would appear to be better tonight, though let's not confuse that with being favored. Denver has lost five straight since defeating the Bucks, though that's due in no small part to the continuing absence of talismanic point guard Ty Lawson (fractured rib). Though it's not expected to keep him out much longer, Lawson's injury is the latest in a long line of injuries to key Nuggets: Danilo Gallinari (knee), JaVale McGee (stress fracture in leg) and Nate Robinson (knee) were already out for the season.

After returning home from a winless four game road trip, the Nuggets fell 112-107 in OT to the Suns on Tuesday despite 21 and 10 from Kenneth Faried and 25 points, 8 boards and four assists from the elegantly-named Evan Fournier. The Frenchman figures to be starting at the two tonight next to usual shooting guard Randy Foye, who's been pressed into extended minutes at the point with Lawson out.

Deadline dealing in Denver. The Nuggets made a pair of moves earlier today, shipping the disgruntled Andre Miller to Washington in exchange for Jan Vesely and adding point guard depth by dealing swingman Jordan Hamilton to Houston for veteran point guard Aaron Brooks. None of these guys particularly matter, so I won't devote any more time to them.

Milwaukee moving day. MEANWHILE IN MILWAUKEE: as you know by now, the Bucks shuttled Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour off to Charlotte in exchange for the expiring deals of (former Buck) Ramon Sessions and undersized energy guy Jeff Adrien. Nobody will play tonight.

Henson. It's not clear if John Henson was actually "dangled" ahead of the deadline or not, but one thing we should all agree on: he needs to start the rest of the season. Though he didn't look particularly good in Tuesday's win over the Magic, I'll go out on a limb and say that the Ersan Ilyasova/Zaza Pachulia combination isn't exactly the future of basketball in Milwaukee. And it's definitely not an ideal group to be going up against Denver's mobile frontline of Faried and J.J. Hickson.