Bucks vs. Clippers Preview, Start Time, TV Schedule & Injury Report

With even less sleep than usual before a morning thanks to daylight saving time, the Milwaukee Bucks will look to overcome the rotation of the earth, the nightlife of Los Angeles on Saturday and, of course, the LA Clippers on the road this afternoon.

Where we are

My take on how things had started to improve for the Bucks after All Star Break – a perfect 6-0 record, the Pat Bev podcast statement shenanigans, and the continued improvement in the season’s defensive rating against all baggage from the beginning of the year. While the DRTG climbed to a still encouraging 16th place (115.7), back-to-back road losses dampened the celebratory mood a bit. A 125-90 drubbing at the hands of the Warriors was followed by a heartbreak 123-122 for the LA D’Angelo Russells. Literally four Lakers scored for the entire fourth quarter, with Russell dropping 21 and the second-highest scorer being Rui Hachimura with 3. The Bucks were unable to find enough answers to a singular offensive outing and picked up another loss for their troubles.

The Clippers gambled their season on acquiring the perennially disgruntled James Harden to push a roster loaded with veteran stars over the top. So far, that gamble seems to have gone relatively well, having turned a 3-7 record to start the season into the fourth-best total in the Western Conference. Unsurprisingly, they are extremely strong offensively (4th in ORTG) and rather solid defensively (13th in DRTG) while boasting an old core of stars. Russell Westbrook will be sidelined until the playoffs thanks to hand surgery last Monday, but he had already accepted a bench role some time ago. An advantage for the Bucks before this one? LA will be on a back-to-back after eliminating the visiting Chicago Bulls last night, 112-102.

This will also be the second time these two teams face off this week with the Bucks. earn a 113-106 victory at home on Monday, March 4. Damian Lillard’s masterful 41 points helped Milwaukee cross the finish line without Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton available for this one.

Injury report

For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo (right knee tendinitis) is probable while Khris Middleton (left ankle sprain) is out; Meanwhile, Los Angeles did not submit its injury report this morning, although Russell Westbrook is permanently out (hand surgery), while James Harden, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were all listed as questionable before the game last night against Chicago, and all three participated. We will update the details here when the Clippers submit them.

Player to watch

In a turbulent season, if any player has been an indicator of Milwaukee’s performance, it’s Bobby Portis. Excellent in the Clippers game earlier this week (he scored 28 efficiently coming off the bench), he was just as bad defensively, cooked alive by the Lakers when they started spamming pick-and-rolls. He has worked hard to bounce back from previous bad nights and will have another chance to recover this afternoon.

How to watch

Bally Sports WI at 2:00 p.m. (CDT)

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