Washington @ Milwaukee preview
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Last Meeting ( Nov 20, 2023 ) Milwaukee 142, Washington 129
For the second time this week, the Milwaukee Bucks will face the visiting Washington Wizards on Friday night, with this game being an in-season tournament matchup.
Both teams are coming off losses. The Bucks lost to the host Celtics 119-116 on Wednesday to end their five-game win streak.
In their first matchup with the Celtics and former teammate Jrue Holiday, the Bucks went on multiple late runs to give themselves a chance after facing a big deficit. Brook Lopez led with 28 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 with 13 rebounds and Damian Lillard scored 27 and added five assists.
"It was almost a tale of two games. I thought it was Bucks basketball in that second half," Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said. "They (Boston) came out fired up and hit some shots, but our team is resilient and showed some character. I was proud of the team tonight."
Washington continues to struggle. The Wizards lost to the host Charlotte Hornets 117-114 on Wednesday for their seventh straight defeat.
Kyle Kuzma led the way for Washington with 28 points. Jordan Poole wasn't too far behind with 24 points. Daniel Gafford also added a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double.
"We didn't make enough plays late to get it done," Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. "Pretty good progression, in general, came out very competitive, effort was there."
It was a bit more of a gut punch than the previous six losses for the Wizards, who led at halftime and had an 81-62 lead late in the third quarter of this game.
"Early in the game, we had momentum. We got to find a way to close it," Unseld said. "To be in those situations where the game is tight and in the balance, that's progress, and we need to continue to lean in on that."
Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 29.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Lillard averages 24.8 points and leads with 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals while Brook Lopez is averaging just under three blocks per game.
Kuzma is averaging a team-leading 23.7 points for the Wizards. Gafford leads the team with 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Tyus Jones has been the primary passer, averaging 4.9 assists per game.
On the injury front, everyone was available for Milwaukee on Wednesday other than Jae Crowder, who will continue to miss time with an abdominal tear. Ryan Rollins is listed as day-to-day for Washington and missed the game against the Hornets due to a knee injury. Wizards guard Delon Wright is out until December with a knee injury.
This will be the second of three matchups between these teams. The Bucks won 142-129 at Washington on Monday night.
Antetokounmpo had 42 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks, while Poole had his best game as a Wizard with 30 points.
--Field Level Media