Bucks at Trail Blazers
THE STORY: The Milwaukee Bucks own the longest winning streak in the NBA and are on the verge of cracking the top eight in the Eastern Conference. They made a big acquisition at the trade deadline in Monta Ellis and are optimistic about the rest of the season. The Portland Trail Blazers are moving in the opposite direction. The Blazers have dropped eight of 11 and have sent away two-thirds of their frontcourt and the coach.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Bucks), CS Northwest (Trail Blazers)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (20-24): Milwaukee is gambling that Ellis and Brandon Jennings can work together as a backcourt duo. It worked for one game, when Ellis made his debut for the Bucks against his former team - the Golden State Warriors - on Friday. Ellis scored 18 points and Jennings went for 13 and seven assists as Milwaukee recorded its highest offensive output of the season in a 120-98 triumph. The Bucks have had a full weekend of practice to work with the new lineup and could be dangerous with those two breaking down defenses from the outside and Ersan Ilyasova, Drew Gooden and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute on the inside. The Bucks are one-half game behind the New York Knicks in the East.
ABOUT THE BLAZERS (21-24): Portland is doing a bit of rebuilding on the fly, with LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum the clear centerpieces of the team now that Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby have been traded away. The Blazers showed some fight in their first game under interim coach Kaleb Canales on Friday, taking out the East-leading Chicago Bulls 100-89. But it was right back to disappointment Sunday in a 111-95 loss at West-leading Oklahoma City. Portland still has a shot at making the playoffs but has fallen 2½ games behind eighth-place Houston.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Ellis has averaged 19.2 points in 19 career games against the Trail Blazers.
2. Portland has taken three straight and eight of the last nine in the series.
3. Milwaukee has not won six in a row since March 2010.