Bucks at Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers will be without All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge for the third consecutive game when they host the lowly Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Aldridge is dealing with a back injury and coach Terry Stotts expects that standout forward to miss Thursday’s contest against the Washington Wizards as well as he continues his recovery. Milwaukee has lost four straight games and continues to possess the worst record in the NBA.
The Bucks remain behind the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference and are a porous 5-27 on the road. Portland is experiencing a rough stretch of its own and has lost five of its last six games. The Trail Blazers blew an 18-point home lead against the Golden Warriors on Sunday while suffering a 113-112 loss. “We have to put that game away,” guard Wesley Matthews said afterward. “That has to be in the bag for us.”
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), CSN Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (13-54): Backup guard Ramon Sessions is carving himself out a role since being acquired from the Charlotte Bobcats. Sessions scored 18 points in Sunday’s loss against his former team and is averaging 13.2 points in 13 games since the trade. Perhaps more impressive is the way he has taken care of the ball lately, rolling up 25 assists against just four turnovers over the past five games. This is Sessions’ second stint with the Bucks as he also spent his first two seasons (2007-09) with the franchise.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (43-24): While Portland has been struggling, forward Nicolas Batum has been playing some of the best basketball of his career. The sixth-year pro is averaging 14.4 points and 13.3 rebounds this month and has collected 12 or more boards seven times in March. Batum had 23 points in the loss to Golden State for his second consecutive outing of 20 or more points and made five 3-pointers while also having 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Portland recorded a 91-82 victory over the Bucks on Nov. 20 to end a four-game losing streak in the series.
2. Trail Blazers PG Damian Lillard has made 182 3-pointers, three shy of the franchise mark he sat last season.
3. Milwaukee F Ersan Ilyasova (ankle) missed Sunday’s game and is considered day to day.