Milwaukee Bucks vs. Golden State Warriors Preview: Bucks Aim to Sweep Season Series

The 16-7 Milwaukee Bucks welcome the defending champs, the 17-9 Golden State Warriors to the Fiserv Forum tonight for some Friday night basketball that will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Bucks Update

The Bucks are coming off of a 115-92 drubbing over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Point guard Eric Bledsoe led all Bucks scorers with 27 points and provided some elite defense, which has been the norm for him this season. Giannis Antetokounmpo only scored 15 points, but it was a balanced effort for the Milwaukee Bucks as six Bucks scored in double figures. They held the Pistons to 36.8% shooting from the field and 23.7% from behind the arc. I don’t know if Blake Griffin has recovered from this yet, however.

For Milwaukee, they’ll once again be without John Henson as he recovers from wrist surgery, and Ersan Ilyasova is probable to return tonight against the Warriors. As of now, Khris Middleton is also penciled in to return from his personal absence, marking his first return to the court since being benched against the Knicks.

Player to Watch: Eric Bledsoe

He had a HUGE game last time out against the Dubs in Oracle Arena. He finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists while hitting 10-of-12 shots. He also suffocated Warriors point guard Steph Curry defensively. It was an all-time clinic.

Warriors Update

Winners of two-straight games, the Golden State Warriors have yet to be themselves this season as they’ve dealt with a plethora of injuries to key players.

Limited to only 15 games this season, Steph Curry is still averaging 30.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and a white-hot 50.3% from deep. He injured his groin last time out against Milwaukee, but he’ll be 100% for this showdown tonight. Kevin Durant has also been doing Kevin Durant things this season while averaging 29.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists all while hitting 51.9% of his shots. Oddly enough, his three-point percentage is down to 34.2% this season. Did I mention they also have Klay Thompson?

While they are 17-9 overall, the Warriors are just 6-7 away from home while the Bucks are 12-2 at home.

The Golden State Warriors will be without DeMarcus Cousins, Damian Jones, and Draymond Green will also be out which is big for the Bucks.

Player to Watch: Klay Thompson

We all know the fierce battles that Giannis and KD have shared over the years, and that Steph Curry is going to get his regardless. However, if Klay Thompson were to have a scoring explosion, which he’s prone to do, it could be a very long night for the Milwaukee Bucks. In 13 career meeting against the Bucks, Klay has averaged 20.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in those games. It’s imperative that the Bucks limit his effectiveness offensively in this one.