Raptors at Bucks
The top two teams in the NBA square off on Saturday, when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Toronto Raptors. Milwaukee, which owns the league's top record at 27-10, is seeking its sixth straight win and 10th in 11 games, while Toronto (28-12) aims to bounce back from being routed at San Antonio.
The Bucks won the first two meetings between the teams this season, recording a 124-109 home win on Oct. 29 and a 104-99 triumph at Toronto on Dec. 9. "It's neck-and-neck right now," Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton told reporters of the race after Friday's win. "It's a long season. We're happy, we're not complacent where we're at right now. We know we can be better. We're going to stay hungry." Toronto is coming off a woeful 125-107 loss to the Spurs that represented star forward Kawhi Leonard's first game in San Antonio since his much-publicized falling out with the franchise. The outcome marked the Raptors' third blowout loss in their last six contests as they also dropped games by 29 points to Orlando and 25 to Philadelphia.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (28-12): Leonard stretched his career-best streak of consecutive 20-point efforts to 15 with a 21-point performance against San Antonio, but he collected a season-low one rebound while being booed vociferously. The team's latest poor outing was disappointing to coach Nick Nurse and point guard Fred VanVleet, with the latter being vocal about the recent doldrums. "We've got a lot of issues right now that we need to deal with," VanVleet told reporters. "We're not going to lie about that or try to hide it. We can't mask that, there's things we need to deal with. That's the beauty of the season ... there's ups-and-downs, and we're at that roadblock right now, and we have to figure out how to get around it."
ABOUT THE BUCKS (27-10): Middleton scored 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting versus the Hawks and is averaging 23.8 over his last four games while making 37-of-54 shots since having a discussion with coach Mike Budenholzer. "It's all about a conversation we had. Getting on the same page," Middleton told reporters. "A lot of people thought we were butting heads. It was about playing better. I've been getting to my spots. ... I'm letting the game come to me. I'm not forcing shots like I was before." The 144 points against Atlanta matched a season high and also marked the third time the Bucks have scored 140 or more this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bucks have won each of the last three meetings.
2. Toronto PG Kyle Lowry (back) is doubtful and could sit out for the 10th time in 11 games.
3. Milwaukee F Ersan Ilyasova (broken nose) recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds in 19 minutes against Atlanta after missing the previous eight contests.