Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards Prediction: Slumping Bucks look to avenge their loss against Washington

NBA Midseason is going to be in soon, well, practically, it has already begun as teams have almost played half of their games. Despite going around for more than two and a half months, we have a lot of action remaining including the ever-anticipated Playoffs. In this NBA Regular Season game, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to take on the Washington Wizards in an inter-conference match-up.

The Bucks come into this game after losing 95:118 against the Wizards in a game where the team didn’t have either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jrue Holiday. This loss was the fifth one in six games. Milwaukee began the season with nine wins and zero losses, but they have lost 13 out of their last 27 games, indicating there are some potholes to cover. Giannis has continued to be the team’s best player but the Bucks’ defense has been crumbling during crucial phases.

The Off-Guard and Wing Positions have looked vulnerable for the team, more so due to the absence of Khris Middleton. With five games out of the next seven to be played away from home, the Bucks need to fix their issues quickly. The Bucks have the fifth-worst field goal percentage(45.6%) whereas they are bottom-ten in turnovers, the type of combination that can end up derailing campaigns in a jiffy. The team needs more from players like Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, etc.

As stated above, the Wizards completed a 118:95 win against a short-handed Milwaukee Bucks squad as Rui Hachimura had a 26 points outing off the bench. This was the fifth straight win for the Wizards and the sixth in seven games after the team had hit a ten-game losing streak. Due to the losing streak, their record is now 17 wins and 21 losses. The recent dubs have brought them in a much better shape but they have a lot of ground to cover after what was an underwhelming start to the season.

Things can improve with three 20+ points scorers Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Bradley Beal. However, the Wizards have lacked the depth at the Point Guard spot for some time now and they have been winning lately with much better balance on both ends. After being porous on both ends, Washington has limited teams below their scoring average while upping their own scoring average. Will the recent explosion be enough to prevent trade scenarios or is that the inevitable outcome?

• Bucks: OUT: Khris Middleton. PROBABLE: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, George Hill;
• Wizards: Game-Time Decisions: Daniel Gafford, Bradley Beal, Taj Gibson.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Giannis Antetokounmpo(30-35 Points), Kristaps Porzingis(22-27 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Giannis Antetokounmpo(12-16 Rebounds), Kyle Kuzma(9-12 Rebouds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Jrue Holiday(7-10 Assists), Monte Morris(7-10 Assists).

The Bucks may not be a team that inspires a ton of confidence these days but here they are playing at home and with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday most likely returning to the scene. The Wizards have been in a great rhythm but that doesn’t mean that they won’t crack under the pressure applied by Giannis. That’s why I expected the Bucks to stall the Wizards’ winning charge. I predict a scoreline of 118:112 in favor of Milwaukee.