It’s put up or shut up time for the Milwaukee Bucks.
As far as I’m concerned, the playoffs start tonight.
The Bucks enter the day 3.5 games back of the 76ers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers are in Milwaukee both Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.
This is coming at a perfect time for the Bucks.
They’re finally healthy, and Giannis is back in the lineup.
It’s the 2nd game of a back-to-back for the Sixers, who lost an emotional heartbreaker to the Suns at home on Wednesday night.
It’s certainly not going to be a cake walk.
Unlike a previous matchup this season, their MVP candidate, Joel Embiid, will be healthy and ready to roll.
It’s not hyperbole to say that tonight is the Bucks’ biggest game of the regular season.
The stakes are these:
Win tonight and you whittle that lead atop the East down to 2.5 games, setting up a massive showdown at Fiserv Forum on Saturday.
Lose and your hopes at the top seed in the East are all but dead.
If you want to avoid playing both the Sixers and the Nets on the way to the NBA Finals, the journey starts tonight.
