3 things to watch ahead of Milwaukee Bucks big matchup vs Brooklyn Nets

If you were ever wondering how a season ebbs and flows, look no further than the last couple of weeks for the Milwaukee Bucks. They lost three of four, were being ravaged by health and safety protocols, but then got healthy and won six straight before being hit hard by protocols again and have lost their last two games.

Now they begin a three-game road trip that will kick off with a high-profile matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. The key part is that the Bucks are on the road so that means the Nets will not have Kyrie Irving available as he is not allowed to play home games.

Regardless, the Bucks have their own undermanned lineup to worry about and they’ll want to get back on track especially against an Eastern Conference rival who they could once again see in the playoffs.

Who will be available for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Brooklyn Nets?

In their last game against the Toronto Raptors, the Bucks had only five players from their ten-man rotation, and now, with the release of DeMarcus Cousins, they could be down to only four of their regular rotation players.

Donte DiVincenzo is still out for another week after rolling his surgically repaired ankle and it’s unlikely that Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen, and George Hill will clear protocols in time, even with the reduced isolation period.

So, the big question will be on if Giannis Antetokounmpo will be feeling better after a non-COVID illness held him out of their last game. Allen missed only one game for an illness earlier this year before having to sit again after playing seven games.

Of course, we don’t know what type of illness that Antetokounmpo is going through but hopefully it’s not as serious as what Allen went through where he lost six pounds. There will be a lot of eyes on this matchup and if the Bucks want to go up 2-0 for the season series on the Nets, they’ll need Antetokounmpo to help offset not having a few key rotation players.