Clippers-Bucks Preview: Buck Hunting

2015-16 NBA Regular Season
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Los Angeles Clippers (12-9)		Milwaukee Bucks (9-13)
December 9, 2015 — 5:00 PM PDT
BMO Harris Bradley Center — Milwaukee, WI
Prime Ticket, The Beast 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM
Win-Loss Breakdown ('15-'16)
12-9	Record	9-13
2-2	East	7-10
10-7	West	2-3
3-3	Division	2-3
9-5	Home	7-4
3-4	Road	2-9
4-6	.500+	2-8
8-3	.500–	7-5
0-0	OT	1-0
6-4	L10	4-6
Projected Starters
Chris Paul	PG	O.J. Mayo
J.J. Redick	SG	Khris Middleton
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute	SF	Giannis Antetokounmpo
Blake Griffin	PF	Jabari Parker
DeAndre Jordan	C	Greg Monroe
Efficiency Stats ('15-'16)
99.6 (11th)	Pace	95.3 (29th)
104.1 (5th)	OffRtg	99.7 (21st)
101.8 (18th)	DefRtg	105.1 (26th)
2.3 (11th)	NetRtg	-5.4 (25th)
Injury Report
		Greivis Vasquez (ankle) questionable
		Jerryd Bayless (ankle) out

The Big Picture:

Many feel that the NBA season doesn't begin in earnest until Christmas. That's a good thing for the Clippers, who, despite having won 5 of 6, are in the midst of some light chaos. The starting backcourt is ailing, and even though Chris Paul and JJ Redick returned to action Monday night in Minnesota, neither looked sharp. The rotation is still unsettled as Coach Doc Rivers shuffles through his many cards in search of a winning hand. GM Doc Rivers may be doing some shuffling too. Yahoo reported on Monday night that the Clippers have gauged league-wide interest in Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith. Whether your reaction to that news was meh or WTF probably depends on how seriously you think the Clippers are shopping two of their most heralded and most recent acquisitions. Either way, it's clear that this team is far from being a finished product, although with Golden State and San Antonio pulling away from the Western Conference, and Oklahoma City thus far underperforming its strong point differential, the Clippers may be closer to their finished playoff-seeding than we might like.

The Antagonist:

Many people had high expectations for this Bucks squad that was coming off an earlier-than-expected playoff appearance. It helped that Milwaukee had a productive summer, signing star big man Greg Monroe, welcoming young scorer Jabari Parker back from injury, and introducing new green and cream jerseys that have immediately joined the class of the league. One quarter of the way into the season, those expectations have given way to disappointment. The Bucks currently sit 13th in the East with a point differential nearer the NBDL team masquerading as the Sixers than the 12th-place Knicks. This Bucks team is not good offensively or defensively, and it's the latter that's the real surprise. Despite the addition of the plodding Monroe, it was fair to expect better from Coach Jason Kidd and a versatile, athletic, and loooooooong-armed young core that finished 2nd in defensive efficiency last year, right between the vaunted Warriors and Spurs. Adding to their plight is a recent spate of injuries and an improved conference that has passed them by. .500 teams don't stroll into the 7th or 8th seeds anymore. For the Bucks, they shouldn't be strolling anywhere, they should be running, especially on defense, if they are to get where they want to go.

The Subplots: