Rockets at Bucks
While Milwaukee's turnaround under head coach Jason Kidd is one of the NBA's top early storylines, it has thrived through a soft portion of the schedule. A meeting with Houston would normally end that trend, but the Bucks might be getting the Rockets at a good time when the teams meet Saturday in Milwaukee. Houston missed center Dwight Howard (knee) for the fifth game in a row and lost point guard Isaiah Canaan to a sprained ankle in a 102-85 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Along with Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones, Howard is one of three sidelined starters for the Rockets — and Canaan had been the fill-in for Beverley. While Houston's starting ranks is decimated, the Bucks have leaned heavily on their bench, which produced a 69-13 scoring advantage in a 104-88 win at Detroit on Friday, the squad's third straight and eighth in 11 games overall. Six of those eight victories came against teams that enter Saturday with a combined record of 21-56.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports Southwest (Houston), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (12-4): Canaan and Beverley will not even travel to Milwaukee but Howard will be there, although he remains doubtful to play. After the meeting with the Bucks, Houston has three full days off before hosting Memphis, which could give Howard the extra time he needs to return. In the meantime, the Rockets will want a bit more from James Harden, who missed each of his four 3-point attempts and committed five turnovers in a 16-point effort against the Clippers.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (10-7): Ersan Ilyasova led the bench barrage with 22 points, eight rebounds and two steals in the rout of the Pistons, continuing an impressive surge. The veteran forward is averaging 15.4 points on 55.8 percent shooting over his last eight games while playing 21 minutes or fewer in seven of those affairs. Ilyasova played a season-high 31 minutes Friday and will continue to see an uptick in playing time as the Bucks wait on the returns of centers John Henson (foot) and Zaza Pachulia (personal).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Harden is 2-of-13 from beyond the arc since a 7-for-12 effort Monday against the New York Knicks.
2. Milwaukee PG Brandon Knight was held to single digits in scoring (six points) Friday for the first time since March 24.
3. Houston has won three straight in the series.
PREDICTION: Bucks 103, Rockets 99