Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Feb. 1 at Utah Jazz

Mar 20, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) dribbles the ball as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends during the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) dribbles the ball as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends during the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 20, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) dribbles the ball as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends during the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) dribbles the ball as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends during the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

The Milwaukee Bucks have now lost eight of their last nine games, and will need to defeat a tough Utah Jazz squad to prevent their current losing streak from extending to four games.

The Milwaukee Bucks need a win in a bad way. Milwaukee is now 21-26 after being 20-18 back on January 13. The Bucks had a promising stretch of their season before this losing streak, but now the team is just half a game ahead of the Detroit Pistons.

The Bucks are ninth in the East after eyeing up a shot at a homecourt seed a few weeks ago. All hope is not lost–Milwaukee is a mere two games away from the seventh seed, currently occupied by the imploding Chicago Bulls.

For any advancement to happen though, the Bucks need to start winning games. Their next chance to do so will be on Wednesday night, when Milwaukee takes on the Utah Jazz in Utah. The Jazz are good this season, in part thanks to some crucial player additions this summer.

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George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw have all brought both experience and talent to Utah, and the team has been better for it. Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward have been fantastic as Jazzmen too, helping the Jazz to their current 30-19 record.

Unsurprisingly, Utah’s defense has been stout all season. The Jazz sport the NBA’s second-best defense, in large part thanks to Gobert manning the middle in Utah. Milwaukee will need to be effective on offense to score enough buckets to beat the Jazz on Wednesday.

To find out how either team can win, we’ll go through major keys for both the Jazz and the Bucks. A member of the Jazz to watch will also be identified, and finally predictions on the final score will be made.