Game Preview: Warriors at Bucks - 12/13/22

START OF A LONG TRIP
After taking care of business against the top team in the NBA (by record), the Warriors will look to keep the momentum rolling on Tuesday against the Bucs, owners of the second-best record in the league. Tuesday’s matchup in Milwaukee will open a season-long six-game road trip for the Warriors, and it will also be the first of this season’s two head-to-head matchups between the two teams. The Warriors have seen their share of struggles on the road through the first two months of the season, but have showed signs of improvement in their most recent matchups away from home. Still, the Dubs have won just two of their first 13 road matchups this season, and they’ll need to improve upon that mark as they get set to play six road games in a span of nine days.

LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors put together one of their strongest performances of the season and came away with a 123-107 win over the Celtics on Saturday at Chase Center. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 66 points as the Warriors maintained the lead from midway through the first period through the end of the game in this season’s first rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals.. » Full Game Recap

PREVIOUS GAME STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney
MIL: Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antentokounmpo and Brook Lopez

INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Andre Iguodala (left hip) and Andrew Wiggins (right adductor) are out. James Wiseman and Ryan Rollins are on G League Assignment. Team Notes
MIL: TBD Team Notes

KEEP AN EYE ON KLAY
Klay Thompson is starting to string together some quality games. He has scored at least 20 points in six of his last seven games, and his current streak of four such games is his longest since ACL and Achilles injuries caused him to miss over two-and-a-half seasons (2019 to 2022). In recent weeks, Thompson has been much more patient in his time on the court, letting the game come to him and taking what opposing defenses give him. In the last four games alone, Thompson has totaled 15 assists. On the surface that might not mean much, but considering he’s never averaged 3.0 assists per game over a season in his career, the fact that he’s had a stretch of averaging nearly four is nothing to scoff at.  On Tuesday, Thompson will face a Milwaukee team that has several capable defenders, but it’s also worth noting that Thompson dropped 38 points on them in the most recent Warriors-Bucks matchup last March. In that game, Thompson made eight 3-pointers, and if he makes two more on Tuesday, he’ll become the 13^th player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career threes.

MILWAUKEE SCOUTING REPORT
Anchored by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have a top-tier defense, ranking second in defensive rating (106.8 points allowed per 100 possessions). They won seven of their last eight before suffering a 97-92 loss in Houston. In that game, Khris Middleton suffered a sprained left ankle in the first quarter and did not return. A three-time All-Star, Middleton made his season debut earlier this month, as recovery from a knee injury suffered in the playoffs in April caused him to miss the first month and a half of the season. With or without Middleton, the Bucks are built around Antetokounmpo, who is averaging a career-high 31.1 points per game this season, second in the NBA, along with 11.3 rebounds (t-4^th) and 5.4 assists while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor. Antetokounmpo has a solid veteran supporting cast in Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez. Among the league’s assist leaders, Holiday has picked up his scoring as of late with at least 25 points in three of his last five games, and center Brook Lopez is enjoying his highest scoring season in five years while also leading the league in blocks (2.9 bgp). Tuesday’s matchup will be a meeting of the last two NBA Champions, and there’s certainly a possibility that these two teams will meet again in June with the title on the line.