Bucks aim to improve playoff position against Warriors

The Milwaukee Bucks are starting a five-game road trip on Tuesday night in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors. They are tied with the Indiana Pacers for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, which is important for home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Bucks lost their last game 121-105 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but had previously beaten the Los Angeles Lakers and Pacers. Milwaukee is five games behind the New York Knicks, who are in third place, and just one game ahead of the sixth-place Detroit Pistons. Coach Doc Rivers reminded his team that every game is important from now on. He noted that a team's awareness of the game's significance can influence the outcome. Throughout the road trip, the Bucks will face other competitive teams like the Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, and Denver Nuggets. The Warriors are coming off a tough loss to the Nuggets. They need to recover quickly, as they are also fighting for playoff positioning in the West. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks is in great form, averaging over 30 points in four of his last seven games. He will be a key player for Milwaukee, especially since he missed their earlier match against the Warriors in February. In that game, the Warriors won 125-111 without him. For the Warriors, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have been logging heavy minutes as they aim to secure a playoff spot. Coach Steve Kerr emphasized the importance of pushing through at this late stage in the season. Jimmy Butler III, who recently joined Golden State, has also been performing well, scoring 23 points in the latest game against the Nuggets.