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Bucks clinch playoff spot two months before postseason

Milwaukee becomes first team this season to punch ticket to the playoffs after Wizards lose to Bulls on Sunday.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks were always going to the playoffs, let’s be real. Nobody anticipated they would clinch a spot this early. The Bucks got some help on Sunday when the Wizards lost to the Bulls, but still, this is the earliest a team has clinched a playoff spot ever.

The last team to do so was the Warriors back in 2017, which is pretty impressive. The Bucks are the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA at 48-8 and should run away with that title by the end of the regular season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on pace to win a second straight MVP award. Can anybody realistically defeat the Bucks in the playoffs? That’s the crazy thing, because I think there are many who believe Milwaukee will have a tough road. It feels like no other team as dominant as the Bucks has gotten less hype in NBA history.

With the Bucks already in the playoffs, do they decide to start resting guys a bit? Sure, they need to secure the No. 1 overall seed for home court throughout the postseason, but they are also served making sure everyone is healthy. it’ll create an interesting fantasy basketball and DFS wrinkle the rest of the way. Giannis, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe may see fewer minutes down the stretch in less important games/blowouts. With the season-long deadline approaching, should you consider dealing Middleton or Bledsoe? That may be a good idea.