One team that’s struggling at the moment is Milwaukee. The Bucks are in the midst of a two-game losing streak, punctuated by a 107-101 defeat to the Washington Wizards on Sunday. They had difficulty stopping Bradley Beal in that ballgame, with the St. Louis native scoring a game-high 26 points. It was a disappointing loss for the Bucks who squandered a double-digit first-half advantage.
Help is on the way, though, for the reeling Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo returning to the starting lineup for Tuesday’s clash with San Antonio. The Greek Freak was ill and sat out Sunday’s loss to the Wizards. He has been a vital cog in Milwaukee’s success this season, leading the team not only in scoring (24.0 PPG) but also in rebounds (9.0 RPG), assists (5.7 APG), steals (1.9 SPG) and blocks (2.1 BPG) as well. Antetokounmpo will have his work cut out for him, however, against a San Antonio side that’s allowing just 97.5 points per game this season, second-fewest in the NBA. The Bucks haven’t beaten the five-time NBA champions since 2012 and have not won in San Antonio since 2008.
There’s just no stopping San Antonio right now. The Spurs extended their winning streak to three games with a 102-85 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Five players scored in double figures for the Spurs who moved to within 1.5 games of the Golden State Warriors for the top spot in the Western Conference standings. They have now won seven of their last eight games.
Leading the way for the Spurs in this game were rookie Davis Bertans and LaMarcus Aldridge. Bertans scored a career-high 21 points while Aldridge notched his seventh double-double of the season, nabbing 15 points and 11 rebounds. The All-Star power forward has been on fire over his last seven games, averaging 23.0 points and 8.4 boards. Key to the Spurs’ resurgence has been their excellent play on the defensive end. They’re allowing an average of just 88.7 points over their last three games.
Aldridge and the rest of the Spurs will look to keep the momentum going when they lock horns with the Milwaukee Bucks this coming Tuesday. They will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well at home of late. The Spurs have won 13 of their last 15 home games, including each of their last nine.
