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The Milwaukee Bucks are undefeated. The Minnesota Timberwolves are a mess. Can the Bucks keep their pristine record, are are they primed for an away game letdown?
Bucks Update
What’s the mood of Milwaukee fans right now? Well...
(WARNING: NSFW)
what it feels like to be a @bucks fan right now #mood pic.twitter.com/4BwigjjjLD
— Justin's WI Sports Memes (@justinsuperbuck) October 24, 2018
There’s too much to like. The Bucks have smashed the Pacers and Sixers, gutted out tough wins against the Knicks and Hornets, all while looking like a modern NBA offense and an effective NBA defense...and Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t even reached his final form yet.
"I feel like so far I've been playing B basketball. I think I can be way better. I can help my teammates find open shots even more. And I'm going to keep trying to get better and try to make my teammates better." - @Giannis_An34
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) October 25, 2018
His current averages: 29.2pts/15.6reb/7.4ast
Player to Watch: Malcolm Brogdon
Of all the Bucks players who seem to have been elevated by Mike Budenholzer’s new system, the President seems to be lagging behind. His shooting has been rough (0.410 from the field, including 7 of 19 from deep), and he continues to dribble the ball for longer than some fans are comfortable with. There has been discussion of whether or not it would be better to bring Brogdon off the bench, allowing him to flourish with bench lineups, but it’s also not necessarily the case that he’s been “bad” either.
Wolves Update
Story posting soon: The Houston Rockets are making a renewed bid to acquire Minnesota All-Star Jimmy Butler, including four future first-round draft picks in their most recent trade offer, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 25, 2018
Minnesota is showing no inclination to move on Houston offer of two injured players and four first-rounders for Jimmy Butler, per sources. On @WatchStadium: pic.twitter.com/NnXkMwXd9N
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 26, 2018
Well then. Drama and speculation swirl relentlessly in Minnesota, as the months-long dance between Jimmy Butler (who wants out) and Tom Thibodeau (who wants the opposite) enters yet another chorus of “when are the Wolves gonna ship Jimmy Buckets out?” Our SB Nation brethren over at Canis Hoopus can provide more extensive backstory on this front, but the Butler-Thibs-Wiggins-KAT saga is one for the ages, and it’s showing on the court: all of Minnesota’s defensive averages are middle-of-the-pack or worse.
On the medical side of things, guard Justin Patton continues to miss time with a foot injury, and former top overall pick Andrew Wiggins is listed as questionable with a quad injury.
Player to Watch: Karl-Anthony Towns
“KAT just has that look in his face like he doesn’t want to play tonight, so, so be it...” pic.twitter.com/Qr7UGLfZ4H
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) October 25, 2018
Um...
Yikes. By many accounts, Towns appears to be out-of-sorts right now. In five games, KAT is performing well below his own standards, with 16.4 points (on 0.426 shooting from the field) and 9.2 rebounds. However, since Bucks’ center rotation of Brook Lopez and John Henson will probably be content to let Towns shoot at will from downtown, he is still a 45%+ shooter from distance. Is today the day where KAT gets his groove back?
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Prediction Poll!
Poll
Game 5: Against Minnesota, the Bucks will...
This poll is closed
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48%
Win big (by 10 or more points)
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43%
Win close (by 9 or fewer points)
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7%
Lose close (by 9 or fewer points)
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0%
Lose big (by 10 or more points)