These teams met last Thursday, with Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving after one minute with an ankle sprain and Kevin Porter Jr. dropping 50 points after getting fined $50,000 for violating the league’s health and safety protocols.
Tonight figures to be a much different affair. The Bucks are 4-0 since that loss, and after back-to-back wins against the James Harden-less Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee is poised to climb to second place in the Eastern Conference with a win.
Meanwhile, Houston’s magic number for a top 3 lottery seed is 2. Houston can (but won’t) go 4-2 down the stretch and still end up with enough lottery balls to give themselves a 52% chance at a top 4 pick, which is the sweet spot this year.