Milwaukee Bucks: Top 5 games from the 2018-19 schedule

The schedule for the upcoming 2018-19 NBA season was just released. What are the top five games for the Milwaukee Bucks and their fans to look forward to?

The Milwaukee Bucks have graduated from a small-market team cared about only in Wisconsin to a growing Eastern Conference contender with a true superstar and a number of intriguing players on their roster. For the first time in a long time, the Bucks have national appeal.

That is made clear in the newly released regular season schedule for the 2018-19 NBA season. After being tapped for just nine national television games in 2016-17, the Bucks have been scheduled for 18 in each of the past two seasons.

This year the ante was increased as Milwaukee reaches that total solely from games scheduled on ESPN, ABC and TNT — not NBA TV. Many fans who would tune in across the country do not have NBA TV, making a spot on the primary partner networks that much more prominent (by contrast, last year’s team appeared on the “primary” networks 10 times). In addition, the Bucks will play on both Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the two holidays where the NBA places its marquee games.

While every team will play 82 games, the order and layout of those games sets up different patterns for every team. For example, Milwaukee will play eight of 10 on the road leading into what might be a much-needed All-Star Break. Overall their home games are weighted towards the beginning (13 of their first 22 at home, including a six-game homestand in November) and the end (nine of their final 13 at home).

Which games stand out as early highlights on the schedule? While any game could unpredictably turn into a classic, there are some that leap off the page as holding significance. Here are the top five games to look forward to from the 2018-19 NBA schedule release.