Riding a five-game losing streak after an unsuccessful road trip, the Milwaukee Bucks start a three-game homestand where fans in Milwaukee are likely more focused on what might happen off the court than on it.
With the trade deadline looming on Thursday and the rumors surrounding currently injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo only getting louder, Milwaukee will begin the home stretch by hosting the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
On its road trip, Milwaukee competed against Philadelphia and Washington until ultimately falling short late in both of those games. On Sunday in Boston, it was not as close. The Bucks scored their fewest points in a game all season, losing 107-79 to the Celtics.
“It’s hard to create shots. … Whenever we took (Ryan Rollins) off the floor, Bobby (Portis) off the floor, the scoring came to a halt,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “When you’re struggling and you start missing shots, it starts to snowball. That’s what I felt tonight.”
Rollins led his Bucks team playing without Antetokounmpo or second-leading scorer Kevin Porter Jr. (oblique) with 25 points and seven assists. Myles Turner, who had scored 31 and 21 points the two games prior, added just seven on 2-of-8 shooting.
Chicago arrives in Milwaukee after facing the Miami Heat in each of its last three games. Miami won two of those matchups, including a dominant 134-91 effort in the finale on Sunday.
Coby White led the Bulls with 16 points despite his 4-for-13 shooting performance. Chicago shot just 6-for-41 (14.6%) from beyond the arc and 32.2% from the floor.
Tuesday is Chicago’s final game prior to the 3 p.m. Thursday trade deadline. The Bulls have nine players on expiring contracts, including White, Nikola Vucevic and Kevin Huerter, making them a team to watch.
Chicago has already been part of a move, acquiring Dario Saric in a three-team trade with Cleveland and Sacramento. Chicago sent Emanuel Miller to Cleveland in the deal and also waived Jevon Carter.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things (on Saric). I’ve always loved his IQ, his feel for the game. He hasn’t been in the rotation a whole lot this year, but a veteran guy that’s been around, in terms of getting him caught up to speed in terms of what we do, I’d imagine it’ll be pretty simple for him,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.
Josh Giddey leads Chicago averaging 18.6 points and 8.8 assists per night. Vucevic leads down low averaging nine rebounds along with nearly 17 points per game.
On the injury front, there is still no official timetable for Antetokounmpo (calf strain) from the Bucks, despite his own estimate of four to six weeks starting from January 24th. Porter also lacks an official timetable but won’t be returning anytime soon.
Gary Harris (hamstring) also missed Milwaukee’s last game and is listed as out again on Tuesday.
Without Antetokounmpo and Porter, the Bucks are missing a combined 44.8 points and 13 assists per game.
Rollins averages 16.5 points and 5.5 assists, while Portis has been a consistent scoring threat, averaging 13.2 points and is among the league leaders in 3-point percentage (45.2).
