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Game day preview and injury report: The Milwaukee Bucks host the Washington Wizards
The Milwaukee Bucks (23-12) are hosting the Washington Wizards (16-21) tonight at the Fiserv Forum in what will be their first game of 2023.
Game preview
The Bucks managed to end their 4-game losing streak last time around, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves and getting back to winning ways. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on fire, breaking various records and posting absurd stat lines lately. The Greek Freak is a huge candidate for the MVP award, and if he keeps up this kind of play, he could win his third Most Valuable Player trophy.
All that is a huge byproduct of Giannis playing without Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton more often than he would like, and tonight could be more of the same. Luckily the two big men in Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis Jr. have proven they got the ability to step up and give valuable production.
The Wizards started the season solidly, looking like a legit playoff team in the Eastern Conference. But they started stumbling after that, even notching 10 losses in a row at one point. But they have stabilized late, winning their last four games and looking to rise out of the 12th seed in the East.
The Wizards are led by a revitalized Kristaps Porzingis (22.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg), the always-dangerous Bradley Beal (23.5 ppg, 5.2 apg), and the flashy Kyle Kuzma (21.7 ppg, 7.5rpg). Supported by a solid all-around roster, Washington has the talent, and they look compatible when clicking right.
But when things go south, everything crashes, and the Wizards go into deep holes that usually ruin their seasons. If they find some consistency, they could be a playoff team and a dangerous opponent in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
Injury report
Khris Middleton (knee) and Jrue Holiday (illness, calf) are out tonight, while George Hill (illness) is questionable.
For Washington, Bradley Beal (hamstring) and Taj Gibson (groin) are both questionable for the game tonight.
