THE Los Angeles Clippers will look to avenge their recent defeat in Milwaukee as they host the visit Deer Sunday afternoon.
Since their loss to the Bucks on Monday, the Clippers have won two in a row. The Bucks went 0-2 to begin their four-game road trip to California after losing to the Lakers Friday night in a heartbreaker, 123-122.
The Clippers will be playing their second straight day at home after beating the Chicago Bulls on Saturday afternoon, 112-102.
Paul George led Los Angeles with 22 points, followed by Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell with 19 and 18, respectively. James Harden finished with a triple-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Clippers held Bulls star DeMar DeRozan to eight field goals on 19 attempts, and the coaching staff credited defense for the victory.
“Our urgency, especially defensively. We really wanted to come out and make DeRozan uncomfortable,” Clippers assistant coach Dan Craig said. Head coach Tyronn Lue coached the game wearing a mask but did not speak before or after the game due to illness.
Leonard leads the Clippers with 24.1 points and 1.8 steals per game this season. Ivica Zubac leads the team with 9.2 rebounds and Harden leads with 8.3 assists per game.
For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out 12 assists in Friday’s loss. Damian Lillard added 28 points and 12 assists while Pat Connaughton had 17 off the bench.
“I didn’t think we had a good defensive night tonight,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Again, we’re having these bad offensive sequences and they’re coming out in transition.”
Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Lillard contributes 6.8 assists and Brook Lopez averages 2.6 blocks per game.
On the injury front, the biggest question mark is when Bucks guard Khris Middleton will be able to return from an ankle injury. He hasn’t played since Feb. 6 and was ruled out for Sunday. Russell Westbrook is out for the Clippers after undergoing surgery to repair a broken left hand on Monday.
These teams met for the first time this season on Monday, with the Bucks earning a 113-106 victory despite Antetokounmpo being out due to left Achilles tendinitis.
Lillard led Milwaukee with 41 points while Bobby Portis added 28 points and 16 rebounds in 30 minutes coming off the bench. George and Harden each scored 29 for Los Angeles, which was outscored 40-25 in the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee is looking for a two-game series against the Clippers for the second straight season. The Bucks own the all-time series advantage 72-54.
This matchup of the top four teams in each conference is shaping up to be another good offensive battle. The Clippers rank fourth in the NBA with an offensive rating of 118.9 and the Bucks are right behind them with 118.6. Milwaukee is also second in the league in points per game with 120.9.
–Field level media
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