In a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview, the Toronto Raptors will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night in the Great White North. The Raptors are the defending NBA champions, and they have shown they have the heart of a champion with their performance this season, but the Bucks are looking to take the torch. Milwaukee currently has a seven-game lead on Toronto for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
This game will take place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on February 25, 2020, and the game will be broadcast on TNT.
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Head-To-Head Results to Date
These teams are slated to square off four times this season, but they have only met once before this campaign. In early November, Milwaukee hosted Toronto and dealt the Raptors their second loss of the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo was superb, going 14-20 from the floor with 15 rebounds and eight assists, and he led the Bucks with 36 points. Kyle Lowry was solid from the floor in a losing effort, going 11-18 and matching Antetokounmpo’s 36 points, but he turned the ball over six times in Toronto’s 115-105 loss.
Milwaukee and Toronto won’t meet again until April. Then, the Bucks and Raptors will play a home-and-home on April 1 and April 3, but the result may not matter to Milwaukee if this team keeps winning.
Injury Report
There are some real injury concerns for Toronto entering this game. While center Dewan Hernandez and small forward Patrick McCaw should be healthy, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell are both likely to miss this game. Gasol has been dealing with a hip injury, while Powell continues to recover from a broken finger.
Kyle Korver will probably be healthy for the Bucks by the time Tuesday rolls around, while Dragan Bender has left Milwaukee after signing a 10-day contract with Golden State.
Matchup to Watch
Giannis Antetokounmpo is on his way to claiming the MVP for a second straight season. He has been superb in virtually all aspects of his game this year, and he leads the Bucks in all three major offensive categories with 30.0 PPG, 13.5 RPG, and 5.8 APG. The Greek Freak is making a whopping 55 percent of his field goals, but he has struggled from distance. He is hitting just 30.9 percent of his threes and 61.4 percent of his free throws.
Pascal Siakam has ensured that Toronto will continue to be competitive. Siakam has made the leap this season, leading the team with 23.5 PPG while also being one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA. He has been a solid shooter, and this is one of the most well-rounded players in the game.
Game Preview
The Bucks have the best offense in the NBA. Milwaukee is averaging 119.7 PPG, and that’s not just because of Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton is hitting 50.4 percent of his field goals while averaging 20.6 PPG, and both Middleton and George Hill are shooting the lights out from three. Middleton is sinking 44.5 percent of his triples, and Hill is making an absurd 51.1 percent of his treys.
Toronto has one of the best defenses in the league. The Raptors have the second-best effective field goal percentage in the game, and they do an excellent job keeping opposing big men out of the paint. They close out on perimeter shooters very well, holding opponents to 33.9 percent shooting from three, and they are even better at home.
Prediction
The Raptors don’t have the hilarious home/road splits we have seen in recent years. That will likely lead to a relatively short line per the NBA betting odds, and I’ll take my chances with Toronto given their strength on defense.
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