NBA Summer League 2021: Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards Prediction & Match Preview - August 15th, 2021
The 2021 NBA Champions, Milwaukee Bucks take on the Washington Wizards for their fourth game of the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League. The two best teams at the end of four games play in the championship finals. Given that Milwaukee is 1-2 in it's last three games while the Wizards are 0-2 in their last two, it is safe to say that these two teams won't competeing for the Summer League title.
Match Details
Fixture: Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards | NBA Las Vegas Summer League 2021.
Date & Time: Sunday, August 15th; 4:00 PM ET (Monday, August 16th; 1:30 AM IST).
Venue: Thomas & Mack Center and COX Pavilion, University of Las Vegas, NV.
Washington Wizards Preview
The Washington Wizards have lost their last and only two games in the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League. Their game against the Indiana Pacers was postponed due to the NBA's health and safety protocols as a result of contact tracing within their locker room. After losing their opener against the Sacramento Kings, the Washington Wizards then dueled in a double-overtime thriller against the Brooklyn Nets but came up short by just three points.
The Washington Wizards collectively shot just 34% from the field as five players shot worse than 30%. No starter was in double figures and the team-high 17 points were scored by Jaime Echenique off the bench. The Washington Wizards are headlined by Corey Kispert and their several rookie signings. Isaiah Todd from the G League Ignite and Jordan Goodwin drafted out of St. Louis are worth keeping an eye on. Cheick Diallo, Asante Gist, and Derrick Walton Jr. were added by the Washington Wizards to their Summer League roster as many players are now unavailable due to contact tracing.
Key Player - Corey Kispert
Corey Kispert was picked 15th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2021 NBA Draft. He was their only pick in the draft across both rounds and naturally, all attention is on Kispert and his game. He is a bonafide sharpshooter with a smooth stroke. However, he hasn't been showing up like other rookies have for their teams. Kispert scored just 9 points against Brooklyn on 4-14 (28.6%) shooting from the field, including just 1-8 (12.5%) from beyond the arc.
Corey Kispert has had two low-scoring games and is due for a big one.
Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup
G - Xavier Rathan-Mayes | G - Caleb Homesley | F - Corey Kispert | F - Dewan Hernandez | C - Jay Huff.
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
Understandably, the Milwaukee Bucks don't have one of the better Summer League rosters. They just won the 2021 NBA title and had no prior picks in the 2021 NBA Draft. Having selected no one, there is no promising rookie to keep an eye on. The Bucks are using the Summer League as a way to examine players they can probably sign in the near future on 10-day or two-way contracts.
Jordan Nwora, Theo Pinson, Jemerrio Jones, Mamadi Diakite are the four players on the roster with NBA experience with Pinson being a three-year veteran. Moreover, the Milwaukee Bucks signed 22-year-old Greek prospect Georgios Kalaitzakis and he gets decent minutes off the bench.
The Milwaukee Bucks were just blasted by the Minnesota Timberwolves 91-64 in their last game and the young players are certainly hungry for a win.
Key Player - Jordan Nwora
Jordan Nwora is arguably the best player on the squad who has shared a court with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Across 30 games and 2 starts last season, Nwora averaged 5.7 points and 2 rebounds in 9 minutes per game. He dropped 30 points in the Summer League opener and 22 points in their loss against the Brooklyn Nets.
Also check out: Giannis Antetokounmp Contract Breakdown
Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Lineup
G - Theo Pinson | G - Brandon Randolph | F - Mamadi Diakite | F - Jordan Nwora | C - Sandro Mamukelashvili
Bucks vs Wizards Match Prediction
The young players on the Milwaukee Bucks are itching for a win and after a bad outing, Jordan Nwora will come out guns blazing in the game against the Washington Wizrads. However, given the better squad, the Wizards are favorites to win this one.
Where to watch the Bucks vs Wizards game?
The Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards game will be nationally televised in the USA on NBA TV, and will be available to stream on ESPN's family of networks along with NBA TV Canada. For fans across the world, the game can be live-streamed on the NBA League Pass.
You may also like: Golden State Warriors Summer League 2021 Roster, Dates and Complete Schedule.