Bucks look to bounce back against Wizards (Dec 23, 2016)
MILWAUKEE -- It's still only December, but with the Eastern Conference race wide-open behind the front-running Cavaliers, it's never too early to start jockeying for postseason positioning.
So while the playoffs are still more than four months away, Friday night's game between the Bucks and Wizards in Milwaukee could play a role in how the conference shakes out. Milwaukee begins the day 13-14, good for ninth in the East -- percentage points behind Atlanta for the final Eastern Conference slot.
The Wizards aren't far behind in the 10th spot, trailing the Bucks by 1 1/2 games.
In the teams' first meeting this season, back on Dec. 10, Washington tormented Milwaukee with a small lineup of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Martin Gortat, Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter. That group outscored the Bucks, 22-8, during an eight-minute stretch, as the Wizards beat Milwaukee, 110-105.
Porter though, is listed as questionable for Friday. He's been dealing with back spasms lately and played just 12 minutes Wednesday night against the Bulls. With Porter sidelined, the Wizards' bench stepped up and scored 33 points as Washington notched a 107-97 victory in Chicago.
"They've found their role," Porter told the Washington Post.
"They're playing well for us right now," said Porter, who sat out the second half with back spasms. "Our bench is definitely keeping us in games."
Milwaukee will try to bounce back after back-to-back losses to the defending world champion Cavaliers. The Bucks mounted a late rally before falling, 114-108, in overtime Tuesday in Milwaukee then dropped a 113-102 decision Wednesday night in Chicago.
It was the Bucks' fifth loss in their last seven games, but hanging tough against the Cavs as well as taking two from the Bulls last week has left an optimistic feeling in the locker room.
"If we play like we've played the last week, regardless of our wins and losses, we'll be fine," forward John Henson said. "We're not beating ourselves. We're playing the right way for the most part."
Head coach Jason Kidd would like to see his squad be more active on the offensive end. Milwaukee averaged 23 assists in the two losses to Cleveland.
"We have been moving the ball for the last four or five days, and for the last 48 hours we stopped moving the ball," Kidd said. "When we had only four turnovers going into the fourth quarter, that means we're not sharing the ball."
"We're a team that turns the ball over with the intent of passing to our teammates. The ball stuck. Taking advantage of the matchups doesn't always mean you have to shoot it. We'll work on it and hopefully we can fix it before Friday."
Washington has won eight of its last 10 games against Milwaukee, including five straight in Washington. The Bucks' two victories in that stretch, however, have come in their last two home games with the Wizards in Milwaukee.
