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In a rematch of last season’s heart-pounding semifinal round series, the Milwaukee Bucks will visit pre-tournament favorite Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, in a potential preview of another titanic postseason showdown.
It will be the second preseason game for the two franchises. The Milwaukee Bucks lost their weird opener against the Memphis Grizzlies while the Brooklyn Nets displayed their readiness with a thumping of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Both teams have a lengthy injury list and will continue to rely on the bench to see the game through. Mike Budenholzer should continue honing the skills of the young Milwaukee Bucks players, particularly Jordan Nwora, who has shown intriguing potential.
Steve Nash, the Brooklyn Nets head coach, was delighted with Cam Thomas’ performance and should check how he can sustain the form he initially showed in the Summer League. Meanwhile, Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge were solid in their debuts. Nash could go back to this frontline to develop chemistry.
Match Details
Fixture: Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets | NBA Preseason 2021-22.
Date and Time: Friday, October 8th; 7:30 PM ET (Saturday, October 9; 5:00 AM IST)
Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies had a weird ending to their preseason opener. Their game was stopped after the third quarter because of a fire alarm that caused a commotion in the building. Off-court issues aside, the Bucks were a little disjointed, which is not surprising in a preseason game.
The positive part was Grayson Allen and Jordan Nwora looked good and played well together. Without PJ Tucker, both of these guys have to step up to help the Milwaukee Bucks defend the NBA championship. They are off to a good start and should build on it from there.
Milwaukee Bucks fans should keep an eye on George Hill. He played only 16 games last year with the Philadelphia 76ers where he averaged 6.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 1.9 APG. He was 0-5 from three in the opener. The Bucks resigned Hill to ably fill the point guard position when Jrue Holiday rested.
There’s no reason yet for the Milwaukee Bucks to be worried, as George Hill is a career 11 point scorer with 38.4 3P%. However, he is getting on with age and could show signs of slowing down.
Key Player – Jordan Nwora
Because Mike Budenholzer might strictly monitor the minutes of the vets and those trying to get back into game shape after an injury, Jordan Nwora will get all the chances he can get to excel. He was quite good in the preseason opener, but can still improve on that performance for the Milwaukee Bucks.
He led the Milwaukee Bucks in scoring with 16 points but was 1-4 from the three-point line. In 30 games with the Bucks last season, he normed a sizzling 45.2 3P%. More than the shooting, he showed last season that he can get buckets in different ways. The preseason will help solidify his slot on the roster.
Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Lineup
G – George Hill | G – Grayson Allen | F – Jordan Nwora | F – Thanasis Antetokounmpo | C – Brook Lopez
Brooklyn Nets Preview
The Brooklyn Nets are obviously keeping James Harden and Kevin Durant fresh for the regular season. They probably won’t see a minute on the court in the entire preseason. Kyrie Irving is not allowed to attend team activities when the Nets are in Brooklyn, so he’s out for the game.
Cam Thomas is taking his impressive display in the Summer League to the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets. If Irving continues to miss all games held in NYC and San Franciso, Thomas’ development will be even more important.
It will be interesting to see if Nicolas Claxton sees more minutes as the starter this time around. He had three points and three rebounds in his 13-minute stint on the floor, partly because the Aldridge and Millsap frontline was clicking.
If the Brooklyn Nets want to develop some insurance, playing Claxton a little more could potentially help them in the long run. There’s just no guarantee how Blake Griffin, Millsap and Aldridge will hold up in a long season because of age and injury history.
Key Player – Cam Thomas
There is no doubt that Steve Nash is grooming the electric point guard. Practically everyone in the NBA now knows that Thomas can get hot fast and score buckets in bundles. However, how he sets up his teammates on offense could really give Thomas’ game a different dimension while playing for the Brooklyn Nets.
In minutes off the bench, assuming Kyrie Irving is out, he could be paired with Patty Mills on the perimeter. Mills is another knock-down shooter who knows how to manipulate screens and the threat of his shooting to get open.
If Thomas can get Mills and the rest of the bench to mob their shots, he would be even more valuable for the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn Nets Predicted Lineup
G – Cam Thomas | G – Bruce Brown Jr. | F – De’Andre Bembry | F – Paul Millsap | C – Nicolas Claxton
Bucks vs Nets Match Prediction
Predicting the winner in a preseason game is a crapshoot. Lineups could change, new offensive plays could be installed and someone could just get hot, which are also reasons why tuning into games like this is fun.
Based on their respective performances a few days back, the Brooklyn Nets are winning this one to keep their win streak going. They look like they have a more developed bench and their vets are already looking good into their preparation.
It does not hurt either that they are on their home floor since losing to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in a thrilling Game 7.
Where to watch Bucks vs Nets?
Live coverage of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. the Brooklyn Nets is available locally via YES Network and Bucks.com. Basketball fans can check out the preseason game between these two teams on NBA League Pass as well.
Also check out: Complete NBA Preseason TV Schedule for 2021
Guess the Lakers players!
