Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

The Milwaukee Bucks Upcoming Game Against The Orlando Magic Will Be Crucial

By Ti Windisch

Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the game against the Orlando Magic at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the game against the Orlando Magic at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Milwaukee Bucks upcoming game against the Orlando Magic will be crucial to Milwaukee’s lottery position.

The Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Orlando Magic on Monday, April 11th. For those Bucks fans who aren’t feverishly checking Tankathon every night, the reaction to that information might be “Who cares?”

After all, this is a game between two teams who will not be making the playoffs. That already diminishes the interest factor for many.

This game will be the most important one the Bucks play for the rest of the season, though. It might end up being one of the most important games of the entire season, for that matter.

More from Bucks News

The Bucks currently sit one game ahead of Orlando in the tank standings. That means Milwaukee would likely get the 10th pick in the draft, and the Magic would get selection number 11.

If the Magic win on Monday, they’ll drop another full game back behind the Bucks. With just a handful of games remaining for each team, a loss on Monday essentially ensures that Milwaukee will be slotted in at no worse than 10th overall, depending on how the lottery balls fall.

Should Milwaukee win the game, they’ll be all tied up with Orlando–if the teams have the same records over their two games apiece before Monday, that is.

That’s not likely. Orlando matches up with the Miami Heat twice consecutively before taking on the Bucks. Miami is one of four teams currently fighting for the third seed in the Eastern Conference–they’ll have no reason to take it easy on the Magic.

So it’s fairly safe to assume that Orlando will lose both of those games, considering the Magic want a better pick as well.

Before they face off with the Magic, the Bucks will go up against the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics game will almost certainly be a loss, as Boston is another one of those teams jostling for the third seed.

Philadelphia is not. They’re the worst team in basketball, who just had to watch their GM stand down. The 76ers are pure, unadulterated garbage. The Bucks will probably win that game.

If that all goes as expected, the Magic would be half of a game behind Milwaukee on Monday, not a full game. That would mean a Bucks victory would drop them to 11th, half a game behind Orlando in lotto standings.

Both teams have one game left on the schedule after their head-to-head match-up. The Bucks take on the Indiana Pacers at home, while Orlando travels to Charlotte to face off with the Hornets.

Believe it or not, Charlotte is better than Indiana this season. The Hornets are one of the teams vying for the third seed, which could still be in play by their game against Orlando.

The Pacers are a bit farther back in the East, and could find themselves fighting for a higher seed as well. Depending on how their schedule goes though, they could be locked into the seventh seed by that point.

If Indiana can’t move at all based on that last game, they’ll probably rest some players. If Charlotte is fighting for anything, they likely won’t.

Milwaukee beating Indiana is not likely, but it’s more likely if the Pacers sit Paul George and/or Monta Ellis. Orlando would have a tough time beating Charlotte, especially if Kemba Walker and Nic Batum play.

None of that will matter if Milwaukee has more than a one game lead over Orlando by that time, which is certainly possible if the Magic win on Monday.

If the Bucks win though, dropping to the 11th spot becomes a grim possibility.

Is one spot really that big of a deal? It was in 2013, when C.J. McCollum went tenth overall and Michael Carter-Williams went 11th.

More from Behind the Buck Pass

Of course for every example there’s a counterexample people will love to point out, like when Jimmer Fredette went tenth in 2011 and Klay Thompson was picked 11th.

Hindsight aside, it’s obvious preferable to pick in a higher spot. There’s been much talk about the Milwaukee Bucks getting a better pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, but moving down is an unfortunate possibility at this point.

Milwaukee is doing the best they can at losing lately, including sitting Jerryd Bayless and Khris Middleton for the last two games. The Bucks are, unsurprisingly, 0-2 over that stretch.

Next: The Monroe Signing Hasn't Worked, But It Wasn't The Wrong Call

Moving up isn’t impossible either, but the Bucks will need help from some of the teams below them to do that. As far as things in Milwaukee’s control, the game against Orlando on Monday is the most important thing left for Milwaukee.

Home/Bucks News