THE STORY: The playoff hopes of the Milwaukee Bucks are fading going into Wednesday night's road game vs. the Toronto Raptors. The Bucks are 10th in the Eastern Conference, trailing eighth-place Indiana by three games with nine to play. Milwaukee is two games in back of ninth-place Charlotte. The Raptors have lost four straight and have no such worries other than making plans for vacation, which begins in two weeks.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS-Wisconsin, TSN2
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (20-53): Toronto began a five-game road trip with a surprising win in Oklahoma City but was unable to build momentum, losing the last four games of the trip, including two of their most embarrassing games of the season - a 33-point defeat to Denver and a 38-point loss to Golden State. Getting blown out by the Nuggets, one of the hottest teams in the league, could happen to any team. Getting smoked by the Warriors is an entirely different story and a good indication the players have tuned out coach Jay Triano, whose days on the bench seem to be numbered.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (29-44): Monday's 87-86 loss to Charlotte was a microcosm of Milwaukee's season. A win would have kept the Bucks two games behind Indiana for the final playoff spot and moved them into a ninth-place tie with the Bobcats. And for most of the evening, it looked like that would happen. Up by six with 3:50 to play, all the Bucks had to do was close out the game, but instead they fell apart. Missed shots, a 24-second violation and several defensive breakdowns helped Charlotte score the last seven points and send Milwaukee to a damaging defeat. Afterward, coach Scott Skiles said, "This game was very similar to maybe 40 games we've had, where we've had an opportunity to kind of seize the game and make basic pro plays, and it's been a struggle for us."
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Bucks center Andrew Bogut is averaging 16.8 points in his last seven games. ... Guard Brandon Jennings scored 26 points against Charlotte but shot 2 of 12 in the fourth quarter. ... Raptors rookie forward Ed Davis is averaging 18.5 points in his last two games after averaging 3.7 in his previous six.
KEY STATISTIC: The closing minutes Monday were a nightmare for the Bucks. Milwaukee missed its final 11 shots over the last 5:10 and went scoreless for the last 3:52.
SEASON SERIES: The Bucks won the first two meetings. Milwaukee took a 116-110 overtime decision in Toronto on Jan. 28 and won at home on Feb. 8 by a 92-74 score.
KEY INJURIES: MILWAUKEE: G Chris Douglas-Roberts (ankle); F Ersan Ilyasova (concussion). TORONTO: C Andrea Bargnani (ankle); F Reggie Evans (foot); F Linas Kleiza (knee).
LAST WORD: "It's going to be very tough for us now to stay in the playoff hunt. Right now, we have nine games left. We're going to need to win eight to make it. Seven or eight. The task is tough for us." - Bogut on the Bucks' playoff chances.