Milwaukee Bucks heat up playoff race at top of the Eastern Conference
The Milwaukee Bucks have certainly shaken up the race that’s been steadily brewing at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Yes, their season series clinching victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday afternoon came without both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in action for Philadelphia. Yet they still finished with one of their most convincing victories on the season as evidenced by their +35.7 net rating in the win, per NBA.com/stats.
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Getting through the checkpoint of tearing through the 76ers was obviously critical in improving the Bucks’ own positioning as they have stood in third place for the majority of the season.
After the win as well as improving their record to 37-22, the Bucks moved within 1.5 games back of the second-seeded 76ers and 2.5 games back of the East-leading Brooklyn Nets.
Of course, the Bucks will host a similar back-to-back series with the Nets starting next Sunday on May 2 as well as on May 4 that will surely shape the race brewing among the top three teams in the East.
The Milwaukee Bucks are making a final play for the first seed in the East
Considering the ups and downs that they have faced throughout the entire 2020-21 season, it was fair to wonder whether the Bucks would be able to make one final push to go for the first seed in the East. Milwaukee still might fall short in doing so, but taking care of business against a depleted 76ers team goes a long way in trying to make things interesting with three weeks remaining in their regular season.
With 13 games left, the Bucks have the sixth-easiest strength of schedule with a 45.8 opponent win percentage, per Tankathon. That, in theory, sets up the possibilities for the Bucks to make things tighter at the top of the East, despite that critical set coming up with Brooklyn.
But looking at the 76ers in particular and having the easiest strength of schedule with a 41.2 opponent win percentage across their final 12 games of the regular season is too big to ignore in the Bucks’ quest to surpass them in the standings. The question is whether they can get fully healthy down their final stretch as they continue to prioritize the first seed in the East.
The injury bug has obviously followed Brooklyn all throughout the year, especially as it goes for their top stars. While they enjoyed the return of Kevin Durant from a leg contusion, James Harden continues to be sidelined from a hamstring strain and his return has been deemed indefinitely.
Along with that, the Nets have a considerably harder strength of schedule as seen by their 52.5 opponent win percentage in their final 12 games. With games coming up against the likes of the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks, along with two games against the Bucks, it will be interesting to see how they get to the finish line this regular season.
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No matter how it shakes out, the Bucks are continuously making noise to set up a tense finish at the top of the East. Whether they continue to do so come playoff time is the biggest question that has been facing them all year long.