Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Feb. 3 at Denver Nuggets

Nov 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) takes a shot against Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Monroe scored 18 points as the Bucks beat the Nuggets 92-74. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) takes a shot against Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Monroe scored 18 points as the Bucks beat the Nuggets 92-74. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Nov 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) takes a shot against Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Monroe scored 18 points as the Bucks beat the Nuggets 92-74. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) takes a shot against Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Monroe scored 18 points as the Bucks beat the Nuggets 92-74. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

The Milwaukee Bucks need a win in a bad way. The Denver Nuggets are up next on this West Coast road trip, and fortunately for the Bucks the Nuggets are dealing with some injuries at the moment.

There are only so many ways to say it: the Milwaukee Bucks stink right now. The Bucks have now lost nine of their last ten games, and Milwaukee better hope the recent Miles Plumlee trade will bring some energy to the squad.

That energy will have to arrive sooner than Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert will if it’s to help against the Bucks’ next opponent, considering those two likely won’t be with the team until after the road trip.

That doesn’t help the Bucks much, although there is something going in Milwaukee’s favor. Denver is dealing with injury problems at the moment. Will Barton, Danilo Gallinari and Nikola Jokic are all dealing with injuries, and Barton and Jokic are questionable while Gallinari has less chance to play.

More from Bucks News

The Bucks would be better off focusing on themselves than their opponent. Milwaukee isn’t being beaten by superior performances every night. The Bucks aren’t playing their best ball, and it feels like weeks since they have.

Maybe a trade is just what Milwaukee needs to snap out of this funk. At the very least, players now know that underperforming can lead to being jettisoned somewhere else for the good of the team. Lighting a fire under some guys might not hurt.

To find out how either Milwaukee or Denver could emerge victorious on Friday, we’ll go through major keys for both squads, followed by a Nugget to watch and some score predictions.