The Portland Trail Blazers will make the trip to the Fiserv Forum in Wisconsin to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA on Sunday morning.
The Bucks (17-15) are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings while the Blazers (11-22) are 13th in the Western Conference.
Match preview
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The Milwaukee Bucks have been a bit of a mixed bag since their Emirates NBA Cup triumph, now 3-4 in their last seven matches after going down 113-110 to the Brooklyn Nets at home on Friday morning.
Giannis Antetokounmpo once again led the charge with 27 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, Damian Lillard contributed 23 points and seven assists, and Bobby Portis Jr. added 15 points off the bench.
The issue for the Bucks of late has been their slow starts and that was the case against the Nets, as they allowed 66 points in the first half and were unable to make up the deficit despite outscoring their opponents 56-47 in the second period.
Doc Rivers was transparent about the conduct of his players in his post-match press conference and admitted that he felt the team failed to execute the game plans that were set out during timeouts, which ultimately led to their demise.
The Bucks are now ranked 15th in the scoring charts this season, averaging 112.1 points per game, but they are still a top-10 team on the defensive end, allowing 110.5 PPG on average.
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Meanwhile, after two impressive performances against the Jazz and Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers are now aiming to avoid a third straight defeat after losing 114-106 to the Lakers on Friday following a defeat to the 76ers in midweek.
Anfernee Simons led the team with 23 points and five assists, Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe scored 19 points apiece, and Toumani Camara got 18 points along with four rebounds and three assists.
The Blazers began the match well, taking the first quarter 31-27, but they fell apart in the second and were outscored 33-20, which proved to be too big a deficit to reel back in by the final buzzer.
Portland have now lost seven away games in succession and are 3-14 on the road for the season; however, they did manage to edge their upcoming opponents 119-116 when they met last season.
Chauncey Billups's side are a bottom-10 team on both ends this season, averaging 108.0 points per game (26th in the league) while allowing 117.2 PPG (23rd in the NBA).
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Team News
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Against the Nets, Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Khris Middleton made the starting lineup together for just the second time this season, though the latter is a minor doubt for this match due to an ankle niggle.
AJ Johnson will likely be a game-time decision once again, Chris Livingston, Liam Robbins and Tyler Smith are on G League assignments, and AJ Green is a major doubt owing to a back injury.
Dalano Banton was a late inclusion against the Lakers last time out for Portland, but he was given just five minutes on the court and will likely remain as questionable for most matches in the foreseeable future.
Veteran forward Jerami Grant is still listed as a doubt out owing to a face contusion and Matisse Thybulle is ruled out as he continues working his way back from offseason surgery on his right knee.
Milwaukee Bucks possible starting five:
Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Lopez, Lillard, Jackson Jr.
Portland Trail Blazers possible starting five:
Camara, Avdija, Ayton, Sharpe, Simons
We say: Milwaukee Bucks to win by 3+ points
While the Bucks have struggled to find their best form since their NBA Cup triumph, they are still a very tough team to beat on their home court and will be determined to bounce back to winning ways after that defeat to the lowly Nets last time out.
The Blazers are 3-14 on the road and their defence has been guilty of being non-existent at times this season. We feel they will struggle to keep up with the home side in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
