Bucks at Raptors
Toronto looks to keep alive a pair of streaks when it takes on Milwaukee in the opener of a five-game homestand Monday. The Raptors have won six straight after a 120-116 victory at Washington on Saturday and have also won six in a row over the Bucks, including a 42-point rout in Toronto earlier this season. One trend Toronto may want to end is its tendency to play in overtime, as each of its last two games have lasted an extra five minutes and the squad leads the NBA with six OT games.
Milwaukee also enters on a roll, having tied a season high with three straight wins after an impressive 95-88 triumph at home over Portland on Saturday, also matching a season best by moving three games above .500. Jared Dudley led a balanced attack with 18 points as the Bucks continued to survive without a trio of big men - Zaza Pachulia (calf) and Ersan Ilyasova (groin) have both missed two straight games while Larry Sanders remains suspended for his violation of the league's anti-drug program. Pachulia and Ilyasova were both present in the previous meeting Jan. 19 in Milwaukee, but Toronto still gained a 55-43 rebounding advantage en route to a 92-89 win.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), TSN (Toronto)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (25-22): Head coach Jason Kidd has done well to prepare his players for when their number is called, as evidenced by the contributions of Dudley and center John Henson in the last two games. Given rare starts due to a rotation shuffle caused by the injuries to Pachulia and Ilyasova, Dudley and Henson have averaged a combined 25.5 points on 62.5 percent shooting and 14.5 rebounds over the last two games. Henson has also chipped in six blocked shots while Dudley has buried half of his 12 3-point tries.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (33-15): This game features two of the NBA's top scoring benches and Toronto's was particularly productive as the team navigated a busy stretch featuring nine games in 14 days, capped by the two OT contests. Lou Williams is averaging 23.7 points in 28 minutes over the last three games while Patrick Patterson has reached double digits in four consecutive contests while shooting 54.3 percent. The Raptors are averaging 116.8 points over their last five games while the reserves are posting 43.4.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Raptors SG DeMar DeRozan, who has a career assist average of 2.3, has handed out 22 over the last three games.
2. The Bucks are tied for fifth in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense (43.5) while the Raptors rank 26th (46.1).
3. Toronto PF Amir Johnson posted 41 points on 16-of-21 shooting in the back-to-back overtime wins.