Sacramento Kings: Game 7 Preview at Milwaukee Bucks
By Tyler Watts
The Sacramento Kings travel to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on November 5, 2016. This article examines everything Kings fans need to know about tonight’s game.
On Saturday, November 05, 2016, the Sacramento Kings travel to Milwaukee to do battle with the Bucks. Sacramento enters as a two-point underdog and riding a three-game losing streak. The Kings need to stop the bleeding in this first of a back-to-back set.
Without further ado, let us get to the game preview for tonight’s clash against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Injuries
The Kings enter the contest with a clean bill of health. No players are listed on their injury report.
Darren Collison will serve game seven of his eight-game suspension. He should return for Tuesday’s game, but until then expect Ty Lawson and Garrett Temple to continue to man the point guard minutes and production.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Scouting Report
The Milwaukee Bucks feature one of the NBA’s great young talents in Giannis Antetounmpo. Giannis turns 22 years old in December and is already averaging 24.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game in this early season. Do not expect that production to sustain, but this a phenomenal player. He is a joy to watch and he will probably produce at least one highlight play tonight against the Kings.
The Bucks enter tonight’s contest with a record of three wins and two losses. They are coming off a 125-107 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. Below is a highlight video from that contest to give you a look at what Milwaukee brings to the court.
Another player to watch for the Bucks is Jabari Parker. Parker is just 21 years old and was the 2nd overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Expect Parker to take a nice step forward this season in Milwaukee and become the number two option behind Giannis.
The Milwaukee Bucks are a fun team to watch if you are a basketball fan, so tonight’s game against the Kings should produce some high-quality entertainment for your early Saturday evening.
What to Watch for?
Who Plays?
Coach Joerger has been making a lot of rotation changes based on the match-up the last few games, so it will be interesting to see who gets the minutes and when tonight. I predicted the Kings’ box score here and shared my thoughts on who I think Coach Joerger will play and why if you care to read more about this topic.
Defending Giannis
According to ESPN, Giannis is six feet eleven inches tall with an absurd seven-foot-three-inch wingspan. Throw in the fact that Giannis is the Bucks primary ball handler and it makes him a match-up nightmare for pretty much every NBA defender.
It will be interesting to see how the Kings and Coach Joerger plan to attack Giannis. I would not be surprised to see Rudy Gay start the game on Giannis. The Kings may have to make adjustments from there, but it is worth monitoring during the contest. Slowing down Giannis is the first step to a Kings’ victory tonight.
Ben McLemore or Arron Afflalo?
Arron Afflalo started Thursday’s game against the Orlando Magic, but only managed to play 18 minutes. Ben McLemore had a very effective game and ended up playing 28 minutes. I will be monitoring if that was a one game instance or if Coach Joerger is viewing McLemore as deserving of more minutes than Afflalo going forward.
Tune-in early or check twitter to see the announced starters. I do not expect Afflalo to be taken out of his starting position, but if Coach Joerger is making the shift to playing McLemore more minutes then it is probably only a matter of time before he starts. This is something to monitor over the next handful of games for certain.
Summary
There you have it, the Kings injuries, a brief scouting report on the Milwaukee Bucks, and what I am watching for in tonight’s contest. I suspect this will be a fun game featuring two improving teams. Given the Kings recent schedule, it will be no easy task to head into Milwaukee and come away with a victory, but if the Kings take care of the ball on offense and disrupt Giannis on the defensive end, I could see them stealing a victory.
Next: Sacramento Kings: Thoughts from Loss to the Orlando Magic
Check back to A Royal Pain for the game recap and everything you need to know about the Sacramento Kings this season. Thank you for reading.