Is There A Way To Lose? – Boston Celtics Vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview

Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks are the worst team in the NBA. There isn’t really an argument for anyone else and Bucks fans at least have the prospect of landing a potential franchise changer with a top pick in this year’s draft. Tonight, the Boston Celtics are in a win/win situation. Either, they look really awful and grab a loss against these Bucks, which would help the Celtics in their race for a higher draft pick, or they come out with a win and look a bit less embarrassing than they did against the Dallas Mavericks in last night’s loss.

The Bucks are as bad as some Celtics fans hoped this year’s team could have been. However, 50 games into the season and we see that the C’s are too good to tank, but not good enough to compete, a sort of purgatory that the Bucks are familiar with. So what can we look for in tonight’s game between two clubs with a lot of unanswerable roster questions?

The Bucks come into tonight with one of the worst offenses (and defenses) in the league and a litany of injuries. Larry Sanders, O.J. Mayo, and Ekpe Udoh are just some of the players who may miss the game. One bright spot for the Bucks has been the play of second year forward John Henson. Though he has been limited with injuries as well, Henson has shown a unique skill-set that would complement most starting fives around the league. Henson is a good piece for a Bucks team trying to find its identity and his versatility will come in handy once they start making more drastic changes to their roster.

Jared Sullinger, who was recently named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, has shown what he is capable of this season and will give Henson fits underneath the hoop tonight. Few players get into the body of their defender like Sullinger does, which is part of the reason he reminds me less of Glen “Big Baby” Davis, and more like a chubby Paul Millsap. Avery Bradley can use a good bounce back game after last night’s 2-13 shooting performance. If his ankle bothers him enough he may sit out, but I expect to see him in the lineup, otherwise Chris Johnson and Jerryd Bayless will carry the load on offense for the guards.

If the Celtics play their style of game and force the Bucks into a poor shooting performance, which doesn’t seem too difficult, then they should walk away with the win. The Bucks inability to score matched up with the Celtics terrific team defense may make tonight a snooze-fest, but if you like grind-it-out basketball and the potential for another big Jeff Green slam, then tune in at 8 PM EST to tonight’s contest.

Prediction: Celtics 94, Bucks 81

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