Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards Prediction & Match Preview - March 15th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
The Milwaukee Bucks and the Washington Wizards continue their two-game mini-series in the 2020-21 NBA at the Fiserv Forum on Monday.
The Bucks are in incredible form right now, winning eight of their past nine games and are looking good to continue that dominant run.
The Washington Wizards, meanwhile, appeared to have slowed down after a resurgent run. They are entering this matchup after losing five of their last six games, while their lead scorer, Bradley Beal, is dealing with knee problems.
The first meeting between the two teams this season was a thriller, with Rui Hachimura and Russell Westbrook combining for a whopping 71 points, but the Washington Wizards couldn't close out the game in the final seconds.
Nevertheless, both the MVPs, Russell Westbrook and Giannis Antetokounmpo, recorded triple-doubles, with Antetokounmpo's 33-point triple-double dwarfing Westbrook's 42 point effort.
Match Details
Fixture: Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards | NBA Season 2020-21.
Date & Time: Monday, March 15th; 7:00 PM ET (Tuesday, March 16th; 4:30 AM IST).
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC.
Washington Wizards Preview
The Washington Wizards' struggles on the court have continued this season. They are ranked 29th in the league in offense and 27th in defense. That is evident, as the Washington Wizards aren't defending the perimeter well and failing to box out opponents for rebounds too.
The Wizards need to make some drastic changes to their roster before the NBA trade deadline or their postseason hopes could go up in smoke. They have a relatively comfortable schedule heading forward, and given the right pieces, they could get into playoff reckoning.
Key Player - Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook's addition to the Washington Wizards' lineup was met with both praise and criticism.
Many argued that he isn't the same explosive player he used to be in Oklahoma City. But his backcourt mate, Bradley Beal, quickly shut down all speculations and said that Westbrook has been nothing but amazing for the Washington Wizards.
Westbrook, who posted a 42-point triple-double in his last outing, is leading the league in triple-doubles this season, with 11 in 30 games. With Bradley Beal likely to miss this game, Westbrook will need to step up as the Washington Wizards' main player again.
Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup
G Russell Westbrook, G Garisson Mathews, F Deni Avdija, F Rui Hachimura, C Alex Len.
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks are just two wins behind their Conference leaders, the Philadelphia 76ers.
They are on a crazy tear right now, averaging 121.1 points in their last eight games, with the team collectively shooting 48.5% from the floor and nearly 38% from the three. MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is showing the league why he deserves his third straight award, while multiple Milwaukee Bucks players are averaging double-digit scoring too.
The Milwaukee Bucks look determined to dethrone the Philadelphia 76ers as the best team in the east, and given Embiid's unfortunate injury, the Bucks might just be able to do so.
Key Player - Giannis Antetokoumpo
The Milwaukee Bucks's best player is undoubtedly Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is on a dominant run at the moment.
In his last eight outings, he has averaged 32 points on 57% shooting from the floor and 35% from the three. He is averaging 67.2% from the charity stripe for the season, but in his last eight outings, that number swells up to 77.3%. Antetokounmpo's defensive contributions continue to improve as well.
Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Lineup
G Jrue Holiday, G Donte DiVincenzo, F Khris Middleton, F Giannis Antetokounmpo, C Brook Lopez.
Bucks vs Wizards Match Prediction
The Milwaukee Bucks are just too hot to handle for many teams right now. In their hot run in the past few games, they are beating opponents by an eight-point differential on average, and almost no team seems to have an answer for Giannis Antetokounmpo as he continues to add new tricks to his repertoire.
Given their loss in the first game of their mini-series, the Washington Wizards got outscored and outplayed despite shooting average from the floor. Although the match was close till the end, the Bucks will be determined to put this one away, especially in Bradley Beal's absence.
Where to watch the Bucks vs Wizards game?
The Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards game will be telecast locally on NBC Sports Washington and FOX Sports Wisconsin. The match can also be streamed live with an NBA League Pass.
Also, Read: 3 needs Milwaukee Bucks must address ahead of the NBA trade deadline.