3/2 Utah vs. Milwaukee
7:00 pm MT – AT&T SportsNet/League Pass
Opponent record: 45-14
Season series: Bucks lead 1-0
Not only do the Milwaukee Bucks have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but they also have the best record in the entire NBA. Led by strong MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have been sensational this season and are a very real contender to reach the NBA Finals.
The last matchup between these two teams was somewhat heartbreaking as the Jazz kept it close most of the way, including holding an 11-point lead in the third quarter and leading early in the fourth. However, a catastrophic final period of play turned out disastrous for the Jazz. Milwaukee outscored the Jazz 31-16 in the fourth and Utah simply fell short.
Hanging so tough but then faltering makes it tough to predict what will happen in this upcoming bout. Such is even more the case when considering the following. On one hand, the Utah Jazz have matched up extremely well against the Greek Freak and Co. in seasons past. In fact, prior to last month’s loss, the Jazz had gone 7-1 against the Bucks over the course of the previous four seasons.
On the other hand, Mike Budenholzer is quite familiar with his former colleague Quin Snyder and has gotten the better of him numerous times. We saw this in full force a season ago when the lowly Atlanta Hawks toppled the Jazz on a pair of occasions. Budenholzer has been a revolutionary figure for the Bucks, taking them from a middling team to an elite one, and as such this Bucks team can’t be viewed as the squad the Jazz have bullied for several years prior to his arrival.
For that very reason, I’m expecting the Jazz to fall short yet again in this contest. Milwaukee has been nothing short of amazing this year with a pair of All-Stars in Giannis and Khris Middleton as well as with a well-rounded supporting cast up and down their first and second units. The Bucks also added prolific scorer Nikola Mirotic at the trade deadline, which could provide them with an even more intriguing wrinkle moving forward.
It should be noted that Saturday’s bout will be the back end of a back-to-back for Milwaukee who takes on the Los Angeles Lakers in LA the night before. However, even so, considering how prolific Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have been this season, I don’t think even that will be enough to slow them down and give the Jazz the edge. At the end of the day, Milwaukee is too deep, too talented and too well-coached. And as a result, I expect them to come out on top.
My Prediction: Bucks Win
Final Score: Milwaukee 103, Utah 97
So in Utah’s last true difficult week that features daunting opponents from start to finish, I have them going just 1-2. Unfortunately, based on their track record against top teams in the league this season, that feels like a pretty reasonable prediction. Then again, the Jazz showed a lot of fight in the double overtime loss to OKC and in a grueling back-to-back against Dallas, so perhaps they’ll be able to dig deep and prove me wrong.
It won’t be easy, but they’re certainly capable of it. Hopefully they can surprise us and start surging through the post-All-Star break stretch beginning this week.