Milwaukee Bucks: Breaking Down Their Remaining Schedule

Final Stretch: Elimination Implications

April holds the final half-dozen games of Milwaukee’s regular season schedule, and they hold a variety of challenges for a stretch that will mean a lot to the Bucks.

Not only will this team likely be fighting to make the postseason, but if they have the opportunity to move up in the standings and avoid Cleveland they will take it.

Road contests against the Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are both tough matchups and both teams will likely be playing hard when Milwaukee comes into town to maximize their own playoff positioning.

Milwaukee Bucks

A win over the Pacers will give the Bucks a 4-0 season sweep and a chance at passing Indiana in the standings.

The Bucks’ one soft spot comes with a trip to Philadelphia to face the 76ers, who are giving minutes to their young players and seeking the best possible draft spot come June before taking the next step forward in 2018 with a healthy core.

If Milwaukee wants to make the playoffs, that’s an easy win they have to pick up.

The other three games have more variability depending on how the standings look at those points. An April 2 matinee against the Dallas Mavericks will be a much different game if Dallas has been eliminated from the playoffs by that point.

If they stay close on the heels of Denver and Portland — or even pass them — by that point, then Milwaukee will have a much more difficult task.

The same goes for the Charlotte Hornets at home on April 10. If the Hornets are still alive, it likely means they are just behind the Bucks and that game could have a huge impact on the postseason odds for both teams.

If they have no shot at the playoffs, they will most likely seek to brighten their pick and drop their final games.