Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Milwaukee Bucks – Game #26

Devin Vassell and the Spurs will try to stun the Bucks (Photo via Twitter)

The San Antonio Spurs have a difficult game tonight on the road in Milwaukee against the Bucks. The Spurs enter with a record of 4-21, including a 2-9 record on the road. The Bucks, on the other hand, are 19-7 overall and 14-2 on the road. Milwaukee has the second best record in the Eastern Conference, while San Antonio has the worst record in the Western Conference.

After snapping an 18-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Lakers by a final score of 129-115 (see the Grades), the Spurs took a step backwards when they got blown out by the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon. San Antonio’s defense had shown signs of improvement before the Pelicans hit a franchise record 22 three-pointers on their way to a 146-110 blowout victory (see the Grades).

The Bucks have won four straight games and six of their last seven contests. Less than a week ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high and Bucks franchise record 64 points against the Indiana Pacers. Damian Lillard, who was traded to Milwaukee in the offseason, has scored 72 points combined in his last two contests.

San Antonio Spurs Injury Update

The Spurs have some unfortunate news on the injury front, as Victor Wembanyama will miss tonight’s game against the Bucks with ankle soreness. This will be the second game this season that the rookie will miss. In the first game Wembanyama missed, the Spurs were defeated by the Pelicans by a final count of 121-106.

The good news is that the Frenchman’s injury isn’t considered serious. In fact, there is optimism that he will be able to play against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup

With Victor Wembanyama out, San Antonio’s starting lineup will look different tonight. The most likely scenario has head coach Gregg Popovich starting Malaki Branham at point guard, Devin Vassell at shooting guard, Keldon Johnson at small forward, Jeremy Sochan at power forward and Zach Collins at center. However, if Popovich wants to keep Collins with the second unit, there’s a chance he could go with Sandro Mamukelashvili in the starting five.

Betting Guide: Spurs at Bucks

The Bucks are favored by 16.5 points and the over/under is 249 points. The smart money this evening is on the under. The Spurs will likely find it difficult to score with Wembanyama on the sidelines. And while San Antonio gave up a ton of points in their last outing, their defense has gotten better in the last couple weeks — which should be enough to keep the Bucks from going nuclear tonight.