Milwaukee Bucks vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview: Starless Night

Amidst the toughest part of their remaining schedule, the Milwaukee Bucks have embarked on a three-game road trip and make their last visit to a Western Conference opponent, taking on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Where We’re At

The going has gotten tough, and the Milwaukee Bucks have gotten going. With a 10-3 record since the All Star break, the Bucks are kicking things into high gear at just the right time. We’re inching closer and closer to the postseason, and the Bucks are inching closer and closer to healthy. Well, that is until Khris Middleton was held out with wrist soreness and Giannis Antetokounmpo was held out with knee soreness. They’ll need those guys to be healthy soon, and sitting them out now goes a long way to ensure they will be, but other guys on the team are still, like, actual basketball players.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are doing just fine. At second place in the Western Conference, Memphis has blown away all preseason expectations, and Ja Morant has gotten deserved attention in the larger MVP conversation. Of course, he won’t be healthy for this contest, as the Grizz are keeping an eye on his long-term prognosis, and while it hasn’t stopped Memphis when Ja sits, they’re clearly a less-dangerous team without him. What stands out so much about the Grizzlies is how formidable they are, despite being so young. They have two players who are 28 (Kyle Anderson and Steven Adams) who serve as the “elder statesmen” and after that? Dillon Brooks (26) is the next oldest member of the team. Everyone else is 25 or younger. Wild stuff.

I wouldn’t want to be an oddsmaker for this one, and it seems neither do the oddsmakers who have the Grizzlies favored on their home court by only a slim margin.

Player To Watch

Steven Adams has long been considered one of the NBA’s strongest players, and he’s a center well-versed in engaging in box outs and screens to set up teammates for success. He isn’t a dynamite scorer or a game-changing defender, but he employs the fundamentals and makes everyone around him just a bit more dangerous. How the Bucks’ stable of bigs handle Adams (Brook Lopez, Serge Ibaka, and Bobby Portis) is worth paying attention to, even if the star power has been sapped from this matchup.

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