Celtics at Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are sinking fast and look to reverse course Saturday when they host the Boston Celtics. Milwaukee dropped a 102-86 decision to the Toronto Raptors on Friday and has lost seven of its last eight games.
The Bucks are slipping down the Eastern Conference terrain despite having two stellar forwards in All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker. Still, the offense is struggling as Friday's contest marked the fifth time in eight games that Milwaukee failed to reach 100 points. Scoring isn't a problem for the Celtics, who have scored 120 or more points in three of the past four games after Friday's 128-98 victory over the Orlando Magic and tallied 100 or more in 20 consecutive games. Boston center Al Horford (groin) sat out the easy win but is listed as probable for the Milwaukee game.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (28-18): All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas scored 21 points in just 25 minutes against Orlando to reach 20 or more points for the 30th consecutive game. The streak is the second-longest in Boston history behind Hall of Famer John Havlicek, who scored 20-plus points in 40 straight games during the 1971-72 campaign. Guard Marcus Smart matched his career high of 11 assists against the Magic but had just one steal after racking up 17 over the previous six games.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (21-25): Parker posted 21 points and a season-best 13 rebounds in Milwaukee's latest defeat and he cited the first quarter as a major problem as it ended with Toronto holding a 36-19 lead. "It's kind of hard when we're trailing the whole game to play catch-up," Parker told reporters. "The momentum was definitely in their court. For us, it's trying to get better on the mistakes, turning our weaknesses into a strength because we can't stay with teams who pretty much attack us the same way every game." Antetokounmpo scored 19 points against the Raptors and has failed to reach 20 in three of the last five games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Celtics won four of the past five meetings.
2. Milwaukee C Greg Monroe scored just six points against Toronto after pouring in a season-best 28 two nights earlier against Philadelphia.
3. Boston SG Avery Bradley (Achilles' tendon) will miss his sixth straight game and 10th of the last 11.