Raptors at Bucks
THE STORY: The Milwaukee Bucks will look to complete a sweep of the season series when it plays host to the Toronto Raptors on Monday night. Nothing is on the line for either team, who are coming off victories with two games remaining in the season. The Raptors have been decimated by injuries and dressed only nine players in Sunday’s victory over New Jersey. Bucks starting center Andrew Bogut has been shut down for the season and will undergo elbow surgery Tuesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TSN, FS-Wisconsin
ABOUT THE BUCKS (33-47): Milwaukee got big games from John Salmons and Drew Gooden in a 108-101 victory over Cleveland on Saturday night. Salmons poured in 32 points on 14-of-18 shooting, coming up one point shy of his season-high total. Gooden registered the first triple-double of his career with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in his first start since Nov. 26. It was his eighth game back since being sidelined for 32 games with plantar fasciitis. It was the highest-point total in 12 games by the Bucks.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (22-58): Despite a makeshift lineup, Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak with a 99-92 victory over the Nets on Sunday night. The Raptors were without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, forward Amir Johnson, and guards Jose Calderon and Leandro Barbosa. Still, they raced out to a 19-point halftime lead and held off a fourth-quarter comeback by New Jersey. Point guard Jerryd Bayless scored 19 points, DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis and James Johnson added 18 apiece, and Reggie Evans grabbed 15 rebounds.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Bucks swingman Carlos Delfino has done a disappearing act this month, scoring 22 points in five games and getting blanked in two of them. DeRozan has been a steady offensive force for the Raptors, averaging 24.3 points in his last seven games.
KEY STATISTIC: Don’t expect a high-powered offensive showcase. The Bucks are the lowest-scoring (91.6 points per game) and worst-shooting team (43.0 percent) in the league. Toronto ranks at the bottom in 3-point shooting percentage (31.9).
SEASON SERIES: Milwaukee is 3-0 against the Raptors, holding on for a 116-110 overtime in Toronto on Jan. 28 and rolling to a 92-74 home victory Feb. 8. The Bucks also won in Toronto 104-98 on March 30.
KEY INJURIES: TORONTO: C Andrea Bargnani (ankle); G Jose Calderon (hamstring); G Leandro Barbosa (finger); F Amir Johnson (knee); G Sonny Weems (knee). MILWAUKEE: C Andrew Bogut (elbow); F Jon Brockman (shoulder).
LAST WORD: When the teams met in Toronto 12 days ago, Milwaukee posted its first win of the season when its opponent shot better than 50 percent.