warriors vs bucks preview (Photo: Photo: Gary Dineen / NBAE/Getty)
Golden State Warriors (43-26) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (13-55)
Tip-off: Thursday, March 20th, 2014 – 7:30 PM PST
Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
Spread: Golden State (-7.5) meaning Warriors are 7.5-point favorites
TV: CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @MaggiePilloton)
Last Game / Streak:
MIL – Lost 120-115 in OT vs POR at Portland, lost 5 straight games
GSW – Won 103-89 vs ORL in Oakland, won 2 straight games
Last Meeting Between The Teams:
Warriors won 101-80 on 1/7/2014 in Milwaukee, David Lee had 22 points, 18 rebounds
Probable Starting Lineups:
Warriors:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: David Lee
C: Andrew Bogut
HEAD COACH: Mark Jackson (113-104)
Magic:
PG: Brandon Knight
SG: Nate Wolters
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Ersan Ilyasova
C: Zaza Pachulia
HEAD COACH: Larry Drew (141-157)
Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:
The Bucks, by roster and record, don’t pose as much of a threat as Cleveland.
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“We don’t play the record,” Bogut said. “Playing some teams that have pretty poor records, our big challenge is obviously beating them. We have to come with energy and the same commitment we have against the Clippers and the better teams. That means coming in with energy, and we’ll usually win that game. If we don’t have energy and are not committed to our structure, we can lose those games.
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“The problem is, sometimes we don’t have energy and commitment and we still win games against some of those bad teams. It’s a mirage in a way. You think that can get it done every night. In the NBA, it only takes one or two guys to get hot on a bad team and you lose that game. You saw that against Cleveland. We can’t afford to have any more of those losses.”
From the Associated Press:
The third-year coach is trying to give his banged-up players breaks during the stretch run in hopes of getting healthier for the most important games of the year. The strategy is one the Warriors (43-26) have rarely had the luxury to consider, and Jackson knows some fans could criticize him if it backfires.
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“If Pop rests guys and they lose, it’s Pop. If I rest guys and I lose, I’m on the hot seat,” Jackson said, chuckling. “So I don’t think it’s the same thing.”
Frank Madden of Brew Hoop:
The defense rests? The Warriors’ impressive D won’t be at full strength tonight, with Iguodala out with knee tendinitis and Bogut a game-time decision due to a sore ankle. The disappointing Harrison Barnes figures to start in Iguodala’s stead, while Bogut’s absence would mean a small-ball big man pairing of Draymond Green (who plays bigger than his official 6’7″ listing) and David Lee. Size-wise that makes it at least a little fairer fight against the underwhelming Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasova. As usual I’ll be hoping John Henson earns some more minutes than he’s been getting, but…well, I guess that whole conversation is getting rather old.
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