Brooklyn @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 4, 2018 ) Milwaukee 109, Brooklyn 94

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched a playoff spot without even taking the floor when the Detroit Pistons fell on Wednesday, but their postseason seeding is still up in the air. The Bucks could jump as high as sixth with a win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Thursday and some help.

Milwaukee entered play on Wednesday in a three-way tie for sixth but would lose tiebreakers to both the Miami Heat and the Washington Wizards, though the schedule is lining up nicely with three straight opponents well out of the race. The Bucks will visit the New York Knicks on Saturday and host the Orlando Magic on Monday before finishing up at the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The Nets are 28 games under .500 and didn’t put up much of a fight in a 121-95 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday. "I thought Philly was great and we were not very good," Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters. "I do think your mind has to be right, your mental focus has to be right and it wasn’t there. It was evident in our passing, our execution and our defense. Just not engaged, either physically or mentally. This is what happens in this league, that happens against a good team and you take 30 on the chin."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, WCBS (Brooklyn), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

ABOUT THE NETS (25-53): Brooklyn surrenders an average of 110.6 points and allowed the 76ers to shoot 54.3 percent from the floor on Tuesday. "I think a lot of was effort defensively, intensity defensively," small forward Joe Harris told reporters. "We just didn’t do a good enough job of disrupting their rhythm. It seemed like they kind of got whatever they wanted." The lopsided nature of the game did offer a rare opportunity for center Jahlil Okafor and shooting guard Nik Stauskas to get off the bench, and the two combined for 28 points.

ABOUT THE BUCKS (42-36): Milwaukee knocked off a team it could end up facing in the first round of the playoffs with a 106-102 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Point guard Eric Bledsoe scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the win and is averaging 27 points on 65.2 percent shooting over the last four games. "He's playing great," shooting guard Khris Middleton told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of Bledsoe. "What Me, Giannis (Antetokounmpo), and him have been trying to do is turn it up a notch. We have to play great. We have to play at a high level. ... For us to get further in the playoffs -- to get to the playoffs first -- to beat teams we want to beat and be the team we want to be, we have to play at a high level. And Bled at the head of the snake is starting that for us."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Nets SF DeMarre Carroll suffered a strained left hip in Tuesday's loss and will not play on Thursday.

2. Bucks C Thon Maker (groin) missed the last five games but is expected to be available Thursday.

3. Milwaukee took the last 10 in the series and won the previous two meetings this season by an average of 20 points.

PREDICTION: Bucks 113, Nets 101