It figures to be a shootout when the Milwaukee Bucks (11-4, 8-1 Home) play host to the Portland Trail Blazers (10-6, 6-2 Away) on Monday. Portland lost to the Utah Jazz 118-113 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter on Saturday.
Anfernee Simons had a standout performance in defeat with 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The Trail Blazers are the third seed in the Western Conference, one game behind the Utah Jazz. Milwaukee dropped their last game on Friday at Wells Fargo Center, falling to the Philadelphia 76ers 110-102.
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 25 points to top the scoresheet in the loss. With 21 points and 11 rebounds, Bobby Portis also played a part. The Bucks are second in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games behind the Boston Celtics.
This is the first meeting of the season between the teams. Portland and Milwaukee split their matchups last season, each team winning one game. The Trail Blazers triumphed in the last meeting 122-107 at Fiserv Forum on February 14.
Simons led the Trail Blazers with 31 points, while Josh Hart added 27 points and seven rebounds. Jrue Holiday had 23 points and six assists in defeat.
The Blazers have been led this season by Simons and Jerami Grant, who are averaging 22.5 and 19.7 points per game, respectively. Both are among the league’s top scorers, as Simons is No. 1 and Grant is first.
Meanwhile, Jusuf Nurkic is grabbing 10.2 rebounds per game, most in the league, and Hart is dishing 4.1 assists (1st). Antetokounmpo has powered the Bucks’ offense, averaging 29.5 points per game. He is the top scorer in the NBA.
Antetokounmpo also has averaged 12.0 rebounds per game, most in the league. Holiday has doled out 7.5 assists per game. The Trail Blazers and the Bucks are both averaging 109.9 points per game, respectively, ranking tied for fifth in the league in scoring. The Trail Blazers are 1-3 in four games at Fiserv Forum.
Portland is 5-5 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -0.4 (106.6-107.0). Milwaukee has a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 109.7 points per game on average while holding opponents to 108.4 (+1.3 margin).
TRAIL BLAZERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Drew Eubanks: 14.6 | 11.1 | +3.5
Rebounds per game:
Jusuf Nurkic: 6.7 | 10.2 | -3.5
Assists per game:
Damian Lillard: 10.3 | 7.0 | +3.3
Josh Hart: 2.8 | 4.1 | -1.3
BUCKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jevon Carter: 27.4 | 15.5 | +11.9
Jrue Holiday: 17.0 | 31.7 | -14.7
Points per game:
Jrue Holiday: 10.0 | 18.7 | -8.7
Assists per game:
Jrue Holiday: 4.0 | 7.5 | -3.5
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Over 214.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
