Bucks vs. Hawks Preview: Basketball in Abu Dhabi

Oct 6, 2022 - 1:20 PM

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Get those second screens and tiny Chrome windows ready, because daytime Milwaukee Bucks basketball is here. With the team in Abu Dhabi for the first of two games against the Atlanta Hawks, this is a truly historic event as the first NBA games in the United Arab Emirates. If that doesn’t warrant your boss giving you some time off midday, what does?

Where We’re At

The Milwaukee Bucks fumbled down the stretch of their last game against the Memphis Grizzlies, with the ragtag bench crew not able to sustain the depth of the Grizz’s young guns. We saw Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis and a few other key pieces of the team, but it didn’t take too long for Bud to throw it over to the bench mob. I wonder if given the spotlight of this contest whether Giannis Antetokounmpo may get some run in this one.

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are joining them overseas, coming off a disappointing season in which they underachieved and were thoroughly shellacked by the Miami Heat in round one. They thought major retooling was clearly necessary, as they pushed in most of their chips to trade for Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. The theory behind it is they need a perimeter defender to make up for Trae’s defensive deficiencies and could use another ball handler to initiate offense. We’ll see how they coexist given Trae’s predilection for controlling the ball.

Player to Watch

MarJon Beauchamp was the MarJon Beauchamp I think we all could’ve expected in his first game. He had some defensive help moments that were nice, hustled for an offensive rebound and grabbed a few boards. He also looked very uncomfortable driving to the rim and frequently had the ball poked away. Here’s another chance for him to find his sea legs offensively and see how he fits in on the other end of the glory.

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