On Thursday night, the Milwaukee Bucks cruised to a comfortable 126-113 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. This victory is a big one, sitting especially heavy and bright as the regular season heads into its final few weeks. With only ten days left in the season, the Bucks look forward to starting playoff play. Postseason starts in 16-17 days and the team is singularly focused on their Game Plan. The Bucks will very likely begin their playoff campaign on either April 19 or 20.
Doc Rivers, head coach of the 76ers, was unable to coach Thursday’s game because of an illness. Rivers was both fitting and fortunate to celebrate a huge milestone by earning his 1,156th career victory. This accomplishment helped him move ahead Hall of Famer Phil Jackson, putting him seventh on the all-time NBA regular-season list.
Milwaukee entered the contest without their new star player, Damian Lillard, who missed his eighth-straight game. Lillard was left behind on the team’s lengthy road trip. He’s still recovering from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and will continue to be out indefinitely. The Bucks coaching staff and front office felt it was in the team’s best interest to remove Lillard from the upcoming road trip. They are focusing on his health and recovery.
Fortunately, Lillard got a “really good report” on his situation recently, offering the organization some hope moving forward. At the same time, Rivers admitted the team’s realistic preparing for the possibility that Lillard doesn’t come back this season.
“We get him back, we know how to play. We don’t know how to play in the long term without him,” Rivers stated. And so I really think it’s the nine Giannis minutes that we have to figure out.
Rivers stressed that whatever happens next, the real task has just begun for the Bucks as they try to rework their approach without Lillard. And he added that it was important to get the most out of them when it matters most in games.
As the playoffs get closer, there’s a favorable stretch of mostly winnable contests waiting for the Bucks. Their last two pairings against Detroit come very shortly. The team is aware of the urgency to solidify their strategy and ensure they are fully prepared for postseason play.
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