The Milwaukee Bucks will be without their star player Giannis Antetokounmpo for yet another game when they take on the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night in San Francisco. Despite this setback, the Bucks have won their last three games, including two consecutive victories over the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets, with Antetokounmpo sidelined due to a sore right hand.
Brook Lopez, a California native and Stanford alum, has been impressive in Antetokounmpo’s absence, scoring 26 points against the Magic and recording an NBA-season-high nine blocks against the Nets.
Lopez has been the vocal point for the Bucks, and he recently shared his thoughts on his impressive defensive play. “If someone’s gonna come at the rim, I’m gonna try to be there to stop them from putting the ball in the basket. That’s exactly what I try to do out there. That’s the best way I can describe it,” he said.
In their only previous meeting this season back in December, Milwaukee beat the Warriors 128-111 at home. Antetokounmpo scored 30 points but struggled with his shooting, going 9-for-26 overall and 1-for-6 on 3-point attempts. This was not the first time the two-time MVP has struggled against Warriors defensive stalwart Draymond Green.
Antetokounmpo has averaged just 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in their previous meetings, shooting 47 percent overall and 21 percent on 3-pointers. Green has led the Warriors to seven wins in their 11 contests with his excellent assists (5.9-4.5) and steals (1.5-1.3) record against Antetokounmpo.
The Warriors will be hoping to use their home advantage in the game, having won six games in a row at home. However, they are likely to be without Andrew Wiggins, who has missed the last ten games due to personal reasons, Gary Payton II, who has been out of action for the last 12 games due to abdominal issues, and Jonathan Kuminga, who sustained a sprained ankle during warmups before their game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Despite Kuminga’s absence, Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes that the team will come back stronger, stating that “there were plays right away where we didn’t get into the ball. We were really soft on the ball and not being the aggressor.”
