Milwaukee Bucks (30-17, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (29-18, sixth in the Western Conference)
Portland; Friday, 9 p.m. on WKTY 96.7 FM / 580 AM
BOTTOM LINE: A pair of the league’s top scorers, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, meet when Portland and Milwaukee square off. Lillard is second in the NBA averaging 29.8 points per game and Antetokounmpo is fifth in the league averaging 28.3 points per game.
The Trail Blazers have gone 14-9 at home. Portland is fourth in the Western Conference shooting 38.2% from deep, led by Anfernee Simons shooting 42% from 3-point range.
The Bucks are 12-10 on the road. Milwaukee has a 20-9 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The two teams play for the second time this season. The Bucks defeated the Trail Blazers 134-106 in their last matchup on Feb. 1. Jrue Holiday led Milwaukee with 22 points, and Nassir Little paced Portland scoring 30 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Lillard leads the Trail Blazers with 7.8 assists and scores 29.8 points per game. CJ McCollum is averaging 18.6 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 34.7% over the last 10 games for Portland.
Khris Middleton leads the Bucks averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers while scoring 20.3 points per game and shooting 43.6% from beyond the arc. Donte DiVincenzo is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers and scoring 11 points over the last 10 games for Milwaukee.
LAST 10 GAMES: Trail Blazers: 7-3, averaging 115 points, 42 rebounds, 20.8 assists, 6.6 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.3 points on 49.2% shooting.
Bucks: 7-3, averaging 117.5 points, 48.2 rebounds, 24.8 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.1 points on 45.8% shooting.
INJURIES: Trail Blazers: Zach Collins: out (ankle), Nassir Little: out (thumb).
Bucks: PJ Tucker: out (calf), Rodions Kurucs: out (abdominal), Bobby Portis: out (health and safety protocols).
TOP PHOTO: FILE – Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives as Phoenix Suns forward Frank Kaminsky (8) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.