The Milwaukee Bucks are limping into Friday night’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors. This game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT. The Bucks have lost two games this week to non-playoff teams and they were the Washington Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Entering this game on Friday night, Milwaukee is 47-29 on the year and Toronto is 23-53 on the year. The Bucks are the two seed in the Eastern Conference and the Raptors are not a playoff team.
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are both listed as game-time decisions in this matchup. Milwaukee this season is 1-7 without Lillard and they are going to need him back as soon as possible. Patrick Beverley and MarJon Beauchamp are also listed as a game-time decision.
Beverley missed the last game and so did Khris Middleton. Middleton is expected to play on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors and there will be no issues there. The top three points-per-game players on the Bucks this season are Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.7 PPG), Damian Lillard (24.4 PPG), and Khris Middleton (15.1 PPG).
It would be interesting to see who would start for the Bucks if Lillard and Antetokounmpo were both ruled out. Pat Connaughton started at point guard in the last game for Milwaukee in place of Damian Lillard. Bobby Portis Jr. could get another start as well and that is something to watch for.
The Toronto Raptors Also Have a Ton Of Injuries Just Like the Milwaukee Bucks
Toronto entering this game also has a ton of injuries heading into this matchup against Milwaukee. They have four players ruled out for this matchup and a couple of them include Scottie Barnes and Chris Boucher. Gary Trent is also listed as a game-time decision on Friday night.
Scottie Barnes is third on the Raptors this season in points per game at averaging 19.9 PPG. Pascal Siakam leads the team at averaging 22.2 PPG and R.J. Barrett is second on the team at averaging 21.1 PPG. Even with the injuries on both sides, the Milwaukee Bucks can not afford to lose a third consecutive game to a non-playoff team.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is going to hear the heat from the fanbase if they lose this game. Darko Rajakovic has had to deal with a lot of player turnover for the Raptors throughout the course of the 2023-2024 NBA season. Milwaukee has to play motivated from the opening jump. Will see who is in the lineup for both teams and will see who is out.
