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The last time the Milwaukee Bucks won in Orlando, this was the number one song in the land, according to Billboard:
Usher's "Yeah!" (featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris) was causing high schoolers and middle-aged housewives around the country to pop and lock in ways we hadn't seen since The Jackson Five. Ironically, this song is still prominently featured at most Bucks home games.
March 3rd, 2004 was the last time the Bucks won in Orlando. Seventeen straight losses since. But the stars seem to be aligning to change that on this night, what with the Bucks a good road team and the Orlando Magic having dropped six in a row. Well NOT SO FAST, SKIPPY! Here's Charles Gardner of the MJS:
Zaza Pachulia has calf injury and questionable for tonight's game vs. Orlando. Coach Kidd said Henson will start if Z unavailable.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) January 29, 2015
Also, Ersan Ilyasova (sore right groin) did not take part in shootaround and is out tonight vs. Magic.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) January 29, 2015
With Ersan assuredly out and Zaza potentially out, that leaves John Henson, Johnny O'Bryant, newly-signed-for-rest-of-season-Kenyon Martin, and a lucky fan in the stands representing Bucks' frontcourt tonight. This will put a stronger onus on the backcourt to continue their hot shooting from Tuesday's win in Miami, when they hit 54.9% from the floor. Brandon Knight, Khris Middleton and Jerryd Bayless were all key on Tuesday and will likely be leaned on again if Pachulia joins Ilyasova on the bench.
Orlando is coming off a nine-point loss in Memphis, thanks in large part to a severe disadvantage in the paint (as most teams have against the Grizzlies). And, regardless of who is performing well at the time, Bucks fans always hone in on Tobias Harris when these two clash. In three games at the Amway Center against his old team, Harris averages 24.7 points, 11.7 boards, and 6418.7 elicited screams of pain from the Dairyland.
Fun Note! Jorge Gutierrez will get some burn tonight, per Kidd. Can he grow six inches and play the five?
And if you're wondering... the answer is five. I listened to "Yeah!" five times while writing this. You should all do the same.
UPDATE: Pachulia is out tonight, Jared Dudley will start at PF.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Bucks starters tonight will be Knight, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Dudley and Henson. Pachulia (calf) and Ilyasova (groin) both out.</p>— Bucks PR (@BucksPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/BucksPR/status/560929546711867393">January 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
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| 14/15 NBA Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
vs. |  |
| January 29, 2015 | ||
| Amway Center | Orlando, FL |
||
| 6:00 CT | ||
| Fox Sports Wisconsin | 620 WTMJ | ||
| Probable Starters | ||
| Brandon Knight | PG | Elfrid Payton |
| Khris Middleton | SG | Victor Oladipo |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | SF | Aaron Gordon |
| Jared Dudley |
PF | Channing Frye |
| John Henson | C | Nik Vucevic |
| 2014/15 Advanced Stats | ||
| 96.2 (13th) |
Pace | 96.1 (15th) |
| 101.6 (18th) |
ORtg | 99.5 (23rd) |
| 99.4 (2nd) |
DRtg | 105.4 (24th) |
Game Coverage: Bucks vs Magic coverage
Opponent Coverage: Orlando Pinstriped Post - Orlando Sentinel