Milwaukee’s losing woes show no sign of ending as the Bucks stumbled to their sixth defeat in the last seven games with a stinging 114-109 loss to the surging Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Even without star rookie Joel Embiid, the Sixers wreaked havoc against the Bucks defense with six Philadelphia players scoring in double-figures. Defense has been the main problem for the Bucks of late, with opponents scoring an average of 112 points over their last seven games.
The Bucks will look to end their losing rut when they face the Toronto Raptors this coming Friday. Milwaukee will be severely tested by a Toronto side that’s averaging 109.7 points per game this season, third-highest in the NBA. Another thing that will concern head coach Jason Kidd with this matchup is his team’s alarming away form. The Bucks are just 8-13 on the road this season. They have lost each of their last six games against the Raptors, including their first two meetings this season. Toronto thrashed Milwaukee, 122-100, at Air Canada Centre last December.
One guy who needs to step up for Milwaukee is Giannis Antetokounmpo. He struggled in the loss to Philadelphia, scoring just 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field. The Greek Freak has been a vital cog in the Bucks’ success this season, leading the team not only in scoring (23.5 PPG) but also in rebounds (8.9 RPG), assists (5.4 APG), steals (1.8 SPG) and blocks (2.0 BPG) as well.
The Bucks are 0-4 SU and ATS in their last four road games.
What in the world is happening to Toronto? The Raptors crashed to their fifth consecutive defeat with a gut-wrenching 101-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Raptors simply had no answer for Marc Gasol who scored a career-high 42 points. It was another disappointing result for the Raptors who suffered their first five-game losing streak since February 21-28, 2015.
The Raptors will look to get their season back on track when they face the Milwaukee Bucks this coming Friday. For Toronto to grab the much-needed victory, it needs to improve on its play on the defensive end. In their last five losses, opponents have scored an average of 106.2 points. They can ill afford such a defensive display against a Milwaukee side that’s fourth in the league in field goal percentage (47.4%).
With regards to their offense, the Raptors are expected to ride the hot hand of Kyle Lowry. He boosted his All-Star candidacy with 29 points (14 in the fourth quarter) and eight assists in the loss to the Grizzlies. With DeMar DeRozan possibly sidelined once again with a sprained ankle, the onus is on Lowry to carry the scoring cudgels for the Raptors. He’s averaging 22.4 points and 6.9 assists per game this season. Lowry will need to start hitting his outside jumpers, though, for Toronto to snap its losing streak against Milwaukee. He’s just 12-for-44 (27.3 percent) from three-point range over the team’s current five-game losing rut.
The Raptors are 3-2 SU and ATS in their last five home games.
