Preview: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Portland Trail Blazers - prediction, team news, form guide

The Portland Trail Blazers volition marque the travel to the Fiserv Forum successful Wisconsin to instrumentality connected the Milwaukee Bucks successful the NBA connected Sunday morning.

The Bucks (17-15) are successful 5th spot successful the Eastern Conference standings portion the Blazers (11-22) are 13th successful the Western Conference.

Match preview

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The Milwaukee Bucks person been a spot of a mixed container since their Emirates NBA Cup triumph, present 3-4 successful their past 7 matches aft going down 113-110 to the Brooklyn Nets astatine location connected Friday morning.

Giannis Antetokounmpo erstwhile again led the complaint with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, Damian Lillard added 23 points and 7 assists, and Bobby Portis Jr. added 15 points disconnected the bench.

The contented for the Bucks of precocious has been their dilatory starts and that was the lawsuit against the Nets, arsenic they allowed 66 points successful the archetypal fractional and were incapable to marque up the shortage contempt outscoring their opponents 56-47 successful the 2nd period.

Doc Rivers was transparent astir the behaviour of his players successful his post-match property league and admitted that helium felt the squad failed to execute the crippled plans that were acceptable retired during timeouts, which yet led to their demise.

The Bucks are present ranked 15th successful the scoring charts this season, averaging 112.1 points per game, but they are inactive a top-10 squad connected the antiaircraft end, allowing 110.5 PPG connected average.

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Meanwhile, aft 2 awesome performances against the Jazz and Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers are present aiming to debar a 3rd consecutive decision aft losing 114-106 to the Lakers connected Friday pursuing a decision to the 76ers successful midweek.

Anfernee Simons led the squad with 23 points and 5 assists, Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe scored 19 points apiece, and Toumani Camara got 18 points on with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

The Blazers began the lucifer well, taking the archetypal 4th 31-27, but they fell isolated successful the 2nd and were outscored 33-20, which proved to beryllium excessively large a shortage to reel backmost successful by the last buzzer.

Portland person present mislaid 7 distant games successful succession and are 3-14 connected the roadworthy for the season; however, they did negociate to borderline their upcoming opponents 119-116 erstwhile they met past season.

Chauncey Billups's broadside are a bottom-10 squad connected some ends this season, averaging 108.0 points per crippled (26th successful the league) portion allowing 117.2 PPG (23rd successful the NBA).

Milwaukee Bucks form:

Portland Trail Blazers form:

Team News

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Against the Nets, Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Khris Middleton made the starting lineup unneurotic for conscionable the 2nd clip this season, though the second is simply a insignificant uncertainty for this lucifer owed to an ankle niggle.

AJ Johnson volition apt beryllium a game-time determination erstwhile again, Chris Livingston, Liam Robbins and Tyler Smith are connected G League assignments, and AJ Green is simply a large uncertainty owing to a backmost injury.

Dalano Banton was a precocious inclusion against the Lakers past clip retired for Portland, but helium was fixed conscionable 5 minutes connected the tribunal and volition apt stay arsenic questionable for astir matches successful the foreseeable future.

Veteran guardant Jerami Grant is inactive listed arsenic a uncertainty retired owing to a look contusion and Matisse Thybulle is ruled retired arsenic helium continues moving his mode backmost from offseason country connected his close knee.

Milwaukee Bucks imaginable starting five:
Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Lopez, Lillard, Jackson Jr.

Portland Trail Blazers imaginable starting five:
Camara, Avdija, Ayton, Sharpe, Simons

We say: Milwaukee Bucks to triumph by 3+ points

While the Bucks person struggled to find their champion signifier since their NBA Cup triumph, they are inactive a precise pugnacious squad to bushed connected their location tribunal and volition beryllium determined to bounce backmost to winning ways aft that decision to the lowly Nets past clip out.

The Blazers are 3-14 connected the roadworthy and their defence has been blameworthy of being non-existent astatine times this season. We consciousness they volition conflict to support up with the location broadside successful this one.

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