Milwaukee Bucks vs Utah Jazz: Match Preview and Predictions - 8th November 2019
Match details
Fixture: Milwaukee Bucks vs Utah Jazz
Date & Time: Friday, 8 November 2019, 9:00 pm ET
Venue: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Last game results
Milwaukee Bucks (6-2): 129-124 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers (Wednesday, November 6th, 2019)
Utah Jazz (5-3) 106-104 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers (Wednesday, November 6th, 2019)
Milwaukee Bucks preview
Just eight games into this season, the Milwaukee Bucks are again establishing themselves as the team to beat in the East. After a 60-win ECF appearance last season, the Bucks are currently 6-2 this season, having just dispatched the Los Angeles Clippers in L.A. 129-124.
It was the league’s reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, leading the way for the Bucks with a near triple-double of 38 points, 9 assists, and 16 rebounds. The Bucks have already played 5 times on the road (4-1) and continue a 4-game road trip, in Utah, Friday night against the Jazz.
Key Player – Giannis Antetokounmpo
Aptly nicknamed “The Greek Freak”, the Milwaukee Bucks’ 6’11” small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is already working his way towards a second consecutive NBA MVP award. The numbers don’t lie: Antetokounmpo is averaging 29ppg, 7.6apg and 14.3rpg.
Two areas of concern that still exist in Antetokounmpo’s game are turnovers, where he is averaging 4 per game, and 3-point shooting, where he is only 26.7%. The Bucks are only giving up 14 turnovers per game though and they average 35.4% from beyond the 3-point line as a team.
Bucks' predicted lineup
Eric Bledsoe, Wes Matthews, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez
Utah Jazz Preview
The new-look Utah Jazz have started 2019-20 with a 5-3 record. In the off-season, forward Derrick Favors signed a free agent deal to play for New Orleans and Ricky Rubio was also allowed to sign as a free agent in Phoenix.
The new additions Mike Conley (formerly of Memphis) and Bojan Bogdanovic (formerly with Indiana) have been good, and they played a huge role in Utah’s Wednesday night home victory over Philadelphia. Bogdanovic had 20 points in 35 minutes and Conley 15 points and 6 rebounds.
Key Player – Donovan Mitchell
A former Rookie of the Year, shooting guard Donovan Mitchell is getting better all the time. He went from 20ppg in his rookie season to 23ppg last year, and now in year three Mitchell is averaging 25.5ppg through Utah’s first 8 games.
Mitchell is also shooting over 50% from the field and 41.9% from behind the three-point arc. If he manages to maintain or improve this efficient shooting stroke, his career will take another jump forward.
In Wednesday night’s victory over the 76ers, Mitchell had 24 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.
Jazz's predicted lineup
Mike Conley Jr., Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gobert
Bucks vs Jazz Match Prediction
The Milwaukee Bucks are proving to be road warriors early this season. They are already 4-1 on the road, and have won their last 3 road games by a total of 65 points, or an average of 21 points per game.
The Bucks are currently first in the NBA in points per game and rebounding, and 9th in assists. Moreover, their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing like an MVP.
The Utah Jazz on the other hand are currently 4-0 at home. That means this contest will pit a solid home team against a good road team.
The Jazz may struggle in this matchup as they are currently 28th in the NBA in points per game, and their pace of play is slower than that of the Bucks. But one stat that is decidedly in the Jazz’s favor is that they rate first in the NBA in giving up points.
They will need a strong defensive effort today again, but we can expect the Bucks to win on the road.
Where to watch Bucks vs Jazz?
You can stream the game live online with NBA League Pass. The game can be watched on TV on AT&T Sportsnet in Utah, and FSWI in Wisconsin.