Bucks

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addByline("Jeremy Hyman", "WashingtonWizards.com", "jeremyhyman");

The Wizards head to Milwaukee and wrap up their season series with the Bucks.

BMO Harris Bradley Center | 8 p.m. | TNT | 1500 AM

Wizards (35-25): G - Satoransky, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Bucks (33-26): G - Bledsoe, G – Snell, F - Middleton, F - Antetokounmpo, C - Henson

Bucks: Malcom Brogdon (Quad - Out), Matthew Dellavedova (Ankle - Out), Mirza Teletovic (Pulmonary emboli - Out)

Tonight will be the fourth and final meeting between these two teams, with the road team winning each of the previous three games in the series.  The Wizards beat the Bucks in Milwaukee in November, but were then beaten twice in a 10-day span by the Bucks in D.C. in January.  Before this year, the Wiz had won five straight season series with Milwaukee, going 14-6 over that span.  The Wizards were in a similar situation on Sunday, where their win over the Sixers evened that season series at 2-2, something they'll look to replicate tonight.

The Bucks have scored at least 120 points in three straight games and the team has their best record through 59 games since the 2001-02 season.  While Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in scoring, rebounds and assists in the previous two games against the Wizards, the Bucks have been getting plenty of production from the rest of their starters, as Eric Bledsoe has scored 20+ in three straight games and Khirs Middleton led the team with 25 on Sunday night against New Orleans.  Tonight will also be the first time the Wizards see Jabari Parker, who returned to the Bucks' lineup earlier this month and scored a season-high 18 points on Sunday.  The Wizards turned in one of their better defensive performances of the season in Sunday's win over Philly and they'll need to replicate that performance against a very talented Bucks team tonight.

The Wizards recorded 35 assists on Sunday, the 14th time in their last 16 games they've recorded at least 25 assists.  Since January 17th, no team in the league has recorded more games with 25+ assists (14) than the Wizards.  Over their last 12 games, the Wizards have assisted on 71% of their made field goals, the highest mark in the league and since January 27th, they are averaging over 30 assists per game, also tops in the league.  The Wizards shot 54% on Sunday and extended their streak of scoring at least 100 points to 14, their longest streak this season.   Bradley Beal has now recorded five or more assists in seven straight games and 12 of his last 13.

Up next, the Wizards take on the defending champion Golden State Warriors tomorrow night (8:00 p.m.).

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Wizards will be tested tonight in Milwaukee

addByline("Jeremy Hyman", "WashingtonWizards.com", "JeremyHyman");

The Wizards host the Bucks this afternoon in a Monday matinee in D.C.

Capital One Arena | 2:00 p.m. | NBCSW | 1500 AM

Wizards (25-18): G - Wall, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Bucks (22-20): G - Bledsoe, G - Brogdon, F - Middleton, F - Antetokounmpo, C - Henson

Bucks: Jabari Parker (Knee - Out), Mirza Teletovic (Pulmonari emboli - Out)

The Wizards wrap up their five-game homestand this afternoon against the same team in which the homestand began, the Milwaukee Bucks.  The Bucks beat the Wiz, 110-103, nine days ago in D.C. to even the season series at 1-1.  The Wiz are 2-2 on this homestand, with back-to-back wins over the weekend against the Magic and Nets.

While the Wiz have come away with two straight wins, neither one was convincing and both were against sub .500 Eastern Conference teams.  They gave up 119 points to the Magic on Friday and then let a 22-point lead slip on Saturday as the Nets took them to overtime.  A win against a playoff team like Milwaukee today would not only give the Wiz a winning homestand, but also give them a quality win after a week with many ups and downs.

After today's game, the Wizards head to Charlotte to begin a five-game trip that will span 11 days.

Over the last eight games, John Wall and Bradley Beal have both put up big numbers to help lead the Wizards to a 6-2 record.  Wall is coming off a season-high tying 16 assist performance on Saturday and has now recorded at least nine assists in seven straight games.  He's averaging close to 26 points per game in the month of January while shooting 46% from the floor.  Beal has scored at least 20 points in 10 straight games and now leads all Eastern Conference guards in 20+ point games with 33 on the season.  Beal is shooting 53% from the floor this month and since the beginning of the New Year, both Wall and Beal have recorded the second-most total games with 25+ points (7) between a pair of teammates in the NBA.

The Bucks tied their season-low for a scoring outing yesterday when they lost 97-79 in Miami and shot just 31.6% from the field.  Since beating the Wiz last Saturday, they've lost three of four and have slipped down to the eight seed in a very tight Eastern Conference.  In their last meeting with the Wiz, Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 34 points, while Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton both eclipsed 20 points.  That big three average over 66 points per game and form one of the toughest trios in the league.

Up next, the Wizards head to Charlotte to play the Hornets on Wednesday. (7:00 p.m.)

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Wizards wrap homestand with Monday matinee against Bucks

While the Wiz have come away with two straight wins, neither one was convincing and both were against sub .500 Eastern Conference teams.  They gave up 119 points to the Magic on Friday and then let a 22-point lead slip on Saturday as the Nets took them to overtime.  A win against a playoff team like Milwaukee today would not only give the Wiz a winning homestand, but also give them a quality after a week with many ups and downs.

wizards-wrap-homestand-with-monday-matinee-against-bucks

The Wizards head to Milwaukee for their first back-to-back test of the season.

BMO Harris Bradley Center | 8:00 p.m. | NBCSW | 1500 AM

Wizards (9-7): G - Wall, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Bucks (8-7): G - Bledsoe, G - Snell, F - Middleton, F - Antetokounmpo, C - Henson

Wizards: John Wall (Knee - Questionable), Sheldon Mac (Achilles - Out)

Bucks: Matthew Dellavedova (Knee - Out), Jabari Parker (Knee - Out), Mirza Teletovic (Knee - Out)

The Wizards are the only team in the NBA who have yet to play a back-to-back series, but that will end tonight as they'll play for the second time in as many days when they take on the Bucks in Milwaukee.  This will be the first of 15 back-to-back sets this season, with two more coming in the next two weeks.  The Wizards will head to Minnesota and Philadelphia next week and then play Utah and Portland in a back-to-back the week after.  Three of the four games against the Bucks this season will be apart of a back-to-back set, tied for the most of any team.  The Wizards went 20-12 in their back-to-back games last year and 7-9 on the second night.

John Wall missed yesterday's game against the Raptors with a sore left knee, but head coach Scott Brooks was optimistic that Wall would be back in the lineup tonight.  He's listed as questionable for the game, but barring any kind of setbacks, there's a good chance we'll see him in there tonight.  Wall sat out one game earlier this season with a shoulder injury, which also happened to be in Toronto, and then returned for the team's next game.  He said after Friday's game that his knee was swollen and had some fluid build up, but after getting it drained and sitting out yesterday, he'll hopefully be close to 100 percent again.  Tim Frazier started yesterday's game in Wall's place and if Wall was forced to miss tonight's game he would likely start again.

The Bucks just recently acquired point guard Eric Bledsoe from the Phoenix Suns and since making the acquisition they've won four of five.  Until getting blown out in their last game in Dallas, they were on a four-game winning streak with Bledsoe in the backcourt, with wins over the Spurs, Lakers, Grizzlies, and Pistons.  Bledsoe hasn't shot the ball well since joining the Bucks, but he's a dynamic point guard who can score in many ways.  A teammate of Wall back at Kentucky, the two always have good battles when they go head-to-head.

The Bucks' most dangerous weapon, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has taken his game to another level this season, averaging just over 30 points and 10 boards per game.  He's coming off a career-high 17 rebound performance in Dallas and now has double-doubles in eight of the team's 15 games.  He's scored at least 20 points in seven straight games and causes matchup problems every night he steps on the floor.  The Wizards will likely use a few different defenders on the 'Greak Freak' and try and make him a perimeter player tonight.

Up next, the Wizards will head to Charlotte to wrap up their road trip on Wednesday night against the Hornets (7:00 p.m.)

Bucks

Wizards will be tested tonight in Milwaukee

Wizards wrap homestand with Monday matinee against Bucks

Wizards wrap homestand with Monday matinee against Bucks

First back-to-back test of year