Just three games separate the Milwaukee Bucks and the NBA play-in tournament positions right now, but a .500 week last week did the team no favors as we enter the final full month of the regular season. Milwaukee sits in 11th in the Eastern Conference, behind the Charlotte Hornets, and dropped a game to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon that included the Bucks being on the wrong side of a 27-0 scoring run. All this while Giannis Antetokounmpo is still sidelined with a calf injury that has held him out of 15 straight games. 

Update: per Shams Charania of ESPN, Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to return to action for the Bucks on Monday night.

The Bucks went 8-7 in this most recent stretch without Giannis, effectively treading water as we move closer and closer to crunch time. However, his return and four games at home this week, including two games against teams that are already in the play-in tournament places, could finally give the Bucks some momentum as they look to keep their postseason aspirations alive. Here’s what is in store:

Monday, March 2 vs Boston, 6:30 p.m. (NBA TV)

Back-to-back games for both the Bucks and the Boston Celtics wrap up on Monday at Fiserv Forum, with Boston having won a Sunday Night game against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. While that does mean two games in less than 24 hours for the Celtics, with a flight in between, Boston has been rolling, winning 12 of their last 15 games. They also beat the Bucks just over a month ago, in a game that saw Jaylen Brown rattle off 30 against Milwaukee at home. We’ll see if the travel fatigue can at least have an effect on the red-hot team.


Wednesday, March 4 vs Atlanta, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday will see the Atlanta Hawks come to town for a later tip on national TV, and it also features the first of two Eastern Conference play-in teams that Milwaukee could gain some ground against. The Hawks have won four straight coming into the week, and have the beginning half of the week off before coming to Milwaukee. Trade deadline addition Jonathan Kuminga has already made his presence felt last week, leading the Hawks in scoring in one of two games against the Washington Wizards with 27 points. While the Bucks are three games out of the play-in tournament, the Hawks are three games from avoiding the tournament altogether, so both teams will be playing hard to push themselves higher up the standings.

Saturday, March 7 vs Utah, 7:00 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Wisconsin)

Saturday night sees the Utah Jazz come to Milwaukee, with arguably the easiest matchup for the Bucks all week. Utah is near the bottom of the Western Conference, losing five straight ahead of this week’s slate of games, and essentially looking for a lottery pick to rebuild for next season. Things went from bad to worse last week for the Jazz, with center Jusef Nurkic, forward Lauri Markkannen, and guard Vince Williams Jr. all sustaining injuries. In the case of Williams and Nurkic, both of their seasons are done. Hopefully Milwaukee can take advantage of a hampered team on a Saturday night at home.

Sunday, March 8 vs Orlando, 7:00 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Wisconsin)

This week’s slate of games concludes with a Sunday night game against the Orlando Magic, with their opponents sitting at the top of the play-in tournament spots. The Magic are three games above .500, and in a similar form as Milwaukee, usually picking up a win for every loss as of late. The Magic will be without Franz Wagner, however, who recently was ruled out indefinitely for a severe ankle sprain. If Milwaukee wants to make their way to the play-in, though, a win on Sunday on the back half of another back-to-back will be crucial. 

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