It’s early in the 2018-19 NBA season, but the Milwaukee Bucks look for real.
Mike Budenholzer’s squad is now 9-2 on the season after a 134-111 throttling of the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at Oracle Arena.
Giannis Antetokounmpo did his usual thing with 24 points and nine rebounds, and this dunk left Draymond Green shocked on the Golden State bench:
The Bucks also got 26 points from Eric Bledsoe, 20 points from Malcolm Brogdon, 17 points from Khris Middleton, and 15 points from Pat Connaughton.
We know The Greek Freak is going to put up the numbers and be an NBA MVP candidate, but the Bucks are getting contributions up and down their roster right now, and that makes them a particularly scary team.
That’s especially the case in an Eastern Conference asking to be won. The Raptors are 11-1 and have Kawhi Leonard now, but we’d be naive to just straight-up assume that things will be so different for them in the playoffs this time around. The Celtics have terrific roster talent, a great head coach, and Gordon Hayward back this season, but they’re just 7-4 and needed overtime (and a 22-point comeback) to beat a terrible Phoenix Suns team on Thursday night. The 76ers are also very talented, but they’re 7-5 and probably still a year away from making the jump. So, the Bucks really do appear to be in the mix, and they have arguably the conference’s best player in Antetokounmpo.
As for the Warriors (10-2), well, we know they’re going to be just fine as long as they can stay healthy. But that’s where they got some concerning news on Thursday night.
Steph Curry left the game with a groin strain in the third quarter and didn’t return.
Here’s the play that Steph Curry suffered his groin strain. (via @NBCSWarriors) pic.twitter.com/gO56ESC7BE
— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) November 9, 2018
And Steve Kerr says Curry will get an MRI.
Steve Kerr update on Steph Curry's groin injury: "I think he's going to get an MRI tomorrow."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 9, 2018
Even if the MRI shows nothing serious, you’d have to think the Warriors will ease Curry back into action; they’re far more concerned about the games in April-June than the games right now.
