NBA Betting News and Trends For Thursday, April 5, 2018

Preview: Warriors at Pacers
Gracenote
Apr 4, 2018

The Indiana Pacers slipped just a bit in their quest for homecourt advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and now the schedule is working against them. The Pacers will make a brief stop at home on Thursday to host the defending champion Golden State Warriors before heading back out to visit East-leading Toronto on Friday.

Indiana is two games behind red-hot Philadelphia and Cleveland in the battle for third and fourth places in the East after dropping a 107-104 decision at Denver on Tuesday to finish a West Coast trip 3-1. "I mean, we've been in those types of games many times and we've won, just tonight we kind of came up short," Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo told reporters after the loss. "Confidence is still high, swagger is still high, we just have to continue to keep getting better." The Warriors are rebuilding their own swagger despite continuing to deal with injuries and picked up their third consecutive win with a 111-107 triumph at Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Golden State is locked into the No. 2 seed in the West but will have an impact on seeding in both conferences with games remaining against Indiana, New Orleans and Utah.

7 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), FS Indiana

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (57-21): Golden State did not have Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green or Stephen Curry available during a 92-81 home loss to Indiana on March 27 but has since gotten all but Curry back on the floor. Durant is leading the way and posted a double-double in each of the last three contests, including 34 points in Tuesday's triumph at Oklahoma City that came with Curry (knee), Andre Iguodala (knee), Omri Casspi (ankle), Shaun Livingston (personal) and Patrick McCaw (spine) sitting out. "It was a great win, short-handed and on the road against a good team fighting for playoff position," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "It's a hell of a win, especially without all our guards. I loved how these guys played and competed."

ABOUT THE PACERS (46-32): Indiana is fighting for homecourt in the first round but won't be intimidated if it falls short after winning seven of its last 10 on the road. "I think it is going to make us road-tough and battle-tested," forward Thaddeus Young told the team's website. "It's definitely prepping us for the task at hand, which is going to the playoffs and trying to get some games. I think we have been doing a good job of handling it. Just going out there and just playing as a team." Young is picking up his level of play while averaging 16 points over the last six games, raising his season average to 12, while posting three double-doubles in that span.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Thompson is averaging 22.7 points in three games since returning from a thumb injury.

2. Pacers PG Darren Collison is 10-of-15 from the floor over the last two games, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc.

3. Golden State won in its last two trips to Indiana, including a 120-83 drubbing in last season's visit.

PREDICTION: Pacers 113, Warriors 107

Preview: Wizards at Cavaliers
Gracenote
Apr 4, 2018

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have coach Tyronn Lue back on the sidelines when they host the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Lue missed the past nine games due to health issues that included chest pains and sleep deprivation and the team went 8-1 under interim coach Larry Drew during his absence.

Overall, the streaking Cavaliers have won four straight games and nine of their past 10 as they battle the Philadelphia 76ers for third place in the Eastern Conference. "We don't know what we can become," forward LeBron James said after Tuesday's 112-106 win over the East-leading Toronto Raptors. "We have no idea, but right now we're playing good ball and we want to try to continue that." The Wizards have sewn up a playoff spot but certainly aren't trending in the right direction with six losses in their past eight games. All-Star point John Wall is back from a two-month absence after knee surgery and is trying to work himself into playoff shape.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (42-36): Wall had nearly as many turnovers (eight) as points (nine) while struggling through a 3-of-10 shooting performance in Tuesday's 120-104 loss to the Houston Rockets. Wall is just 9-of-27 shooting in his two games since returning while averaging 12 points and 12 assists and he isn't worried about which seed Washington ends up with. "No matter who we play, we have to go out there and compete," Wall told reporters. "It doesn't matter in the fifth seed, sixth seed, fourth seed, seventh, eighth seed - every matchup is going to be tough. No playoff game is going to be easy and every guy in here understands that."

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (48-30): Veteran point guard Jose Calderon isn't asked to do much scoring but he was up to the task on Tuesday, when he scored a season-best 19 points against his former Toronto teammates. The 36-year-old Calderon averages just 4.6 points but he was a solid 7-of-11 from the field - including three 3-pointers - in the stellar showing. "He's just one of those guys who you just say is a consummate pro," power forward Kevin Love told reporters of Calderon. "Just brings it every single day, comes in and does his job. On the defensive end, he picks up full court and brings us a whole different energy. On both sides of the ball, he's super scrappy. On the offensive end, he gets us into our sets, is always hitting shots gets into the lane and always makes the right play."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Wizards won two straight visits to Cleveland, including a 110-103 decision on Feb. 22.

2. Washington SF Kelly Oubre Jr. is just 6-for-33 over the past three games.

3. Cleveland PG George Hill (ankle) will likely miss his third straight game.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 118, Wizards 108

Preview: Trail Blazers at Rockets
Gracenote
Apr 4, 2018

Portland star guard Damian Lillard will sit out with a sprained left ankle when the Trail Blazers visit the Houston Rockets on Thursday. Lillard injured the ankle in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 115-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks and could miss multiple games.

Lillard knew the ankle was a problem after Tuesday's game and he ended up getting a ride on a cart as opposed to walking out of the arena. "I think I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I'm going to be smart about it," Lillard told reporters after the contest. "It's the end of the season, we are going into the playoffs, so I have to be smart that one thing doesn't turn into another." Lillard averaged 28 points and 6.7 assists in three games this season against the Rockets, who won the three meetings while scoring an average of 120 points. Houston is coming off a stellar 120-104 victory over the Washington Wizards as MVP candidate James Harden contributed 38 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Northwest (Portland), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (48-30): Portland is two victories away from posting its third 50-win campaign in coach Terry Stotts' six seasons and the club is also working on clinching third place in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers scored 100 or more points in 21 consecutive contests but there was a dejected feeling after losing to the lowly Mavericks. "I thought we were going to make a run like we always do, and we didn't," center Jusuf Nurkic said afterward. "So, we need to learn from that, plus playoff games are around the corner."

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (63-15): Harden missed a game against Portland earlier this season but averaged 45 points in two he played with outings of 48 and 42. The 28-year-old is closing in on his first scoring title with a career-best 30.7 average and is also averaging 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds. Backup guard Gerald Green tallied 16 points in the romp over Washington and is averaging 15.8 points over the past six contests to raise his average to 11.6 in 37 games since joining the team.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Rockets won six of the past seven regular-season meetings.

2. Houston F Ryan Anderson (ankle) will sit out after being injured on Tuesday.

3. Nurkic has 24 double-doubles this season after combining for 21 over his first four NBA campaigns.

PREDICTION: Rockets 127, Trail Blazers 109

Preview: Nets at Bucks
Gracenote
Apr 4, 2018

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched a playoff spot without even taking the floor when the Detroit Pistons fell on Wednesday, but their postseason seeding is still up in the air. The Bucks could jump as high as sixth with a win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Thursday and some help.

Milwaukee entered play on Wednesday in a three-way tie for sixth but would lose tiebreakers to both the Miami Heat and the Washington Wizards, though the schedule is lining up nicely with three straight opponents well out of the race. The Bucks will visit the New York Knicks on Saturday and host the Orlando Magic on Monday before finishing up at the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The Nets are 28 games under .500 and didn’t put up much of a fight in a 121-95 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday. "I thought Philly was great and we were not very good," Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters. "I do think your mind has to be right, your mental focus has to be right and it wasn’t there. It was evident in our passing, our execution and our defense. Just not engaged, either physically or mentally. This is what happens in this league, that happens against a good team and you take 30 on the chin."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, WCBS (Brooklyn), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

ABOUT THE NETS (25-53): Brooklyn surrenders an average of 110.6 points and allowed the 76ers to shoot 54.3 percent from the floor on Tuesday. "I think a lot of was effort defensively, intensity defensively," small forward Joe Harris told reporters. "We just didn’t do a good enough job of disrupting their rhythm. It seemed like they kind of got whatever they wanted." The lopsided nature of the game did offer a rare opportunity for center Jahlil Okafor and shooting guard Nik Stauskas to get off the bench, and the two combined for 28 points.

ABOUT THE BUCKS (42-36): Milwaukee knocked off a team it could end up facing in the first round of the playoffs with a 106-102 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Point guard Eric Bledsoe scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the win and is averaging 27 points on 65.2 percent shooting over the last four games. "He's playing great," shooting guard Khris Middleton told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of Bledsoe. "What Me, Giannis (Antetokounmpo), and him have been trying to do is turn it up a notch. We have to play great. We have to play at a high level. ... For us to get further in the playoffs -- to get to the playoffs first -- to beat teams we want to beat and be the team we want to be, we have to play at a high level. And Bled at the head of the snake is starting that for us."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Nets SF DeMarre Carroll suffered a strained left hip in Tuesday's loss and will not play on Thursday.

2. Bucks C Thon Maker (groin) missed the last five games but is expected to be available Thursday.

3. Milwaukee took the last 10 in the series and won the previous two meetings this season by an average of 20 points.

PREDICTION: Bucks 113, Nets 101

Preview: Clippers at Jazz
Gracenote
Apr 4, 2018

The Los Angeles Clippers have no margin for error with four games remaining in the regular season when it comes to landing a Western Conference playoff spot. Los Angeles resides in 10th place in the West as it visits the scorching-hot Utah Jazz on Thursday.

Los Angeles recovered from a 19-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday to keep its postseason aspirations alive. "Backs against the wall," shooting guard Lou Williams said in a postgame television interview after the contest. "We've been a resilient group dealing with so many injuries. We're relying on guys who weren't even part of our team earlier in the season. That's just been our makeup. We know we have to win out to give us an opportunity." The Jazz won 26 of their past 31 games but haven't yet clinched a playoff spot, and coach Quin Snyder is tired of hearing the playoff chatter. "Our focus needs to be better," Snyder told reporters after Tuesday's 117-110 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers. "All I have heard is the playoffs and we are in the playoffs. We aren't in the playoffs. There is no 'X' next to our name in the standings, so we need to play with more urgency and more focus."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah)

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (42-36): Coach Doc Rivers was thrilled about his team's comeback against the Spurs as a defeat would have been close to a death knell per the postseason chances. "It was my favorite win of the season," Rivers told reporters afterward. "We had no choice. If we quit on the game, we quit on the season. We had nothing to lose or be discouraged about. They're one of the best defensive teams in the league and to do it against them is big." Williams was struggling through a poor outing before he tallied 15 fourth-quarter points to finish with 22 while recording his third straight 20-point outing.

ABOUT THE JAZZ (45-33): Point guard Ricky Rubio was superb against the Lakers by scoring 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting and also recording eight assists and six rebounds. Rubio had a reputation as a poor shooter during six seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves but has proven to be a better fit for the Utah offense and is averaging 20.6 points over the past seven games. "He was taking the right shots," Snyder said. "There have been times where we have talked to Ricky about it, where he needs to score when the play and the game presents itself to him."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Jazz are 2-1 versus the Clippers this season after losing 18 of the previous 20 regular-season meetings.

2. Los Angeles F Tobias Harris scored 31 points against the Spurs and is averaging 22.8 points over the past four games.

3. Utah C Rudy Gobert collected 16 rebounds against the Lakers and is averaging 13 over the past five contests.

PREDICTION: Jazz 113, Clippers 112

Preview: Timberwolves at Nuggets
Gracenote
Apr 4, 2018

The battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference promises to go down to the final games of the regular season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets plan to be in the mix. The Nuggets will try to jump into the top eight at the expense of the Timberwolves when they host Minnesota on Thursday.

Denver won its last three games by a total of seven points to pull within a half-game of the eighth-place New Orleans Pelicans entering play on Wednesday and will play its final four games against playoff contenders from the West, including a pair against the Timberwolves. "We can’t play like it's life and death, because we're gonna die a lot," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters. "... I want our guys to play free, to enjoy and embrace the moment and what we're involved in right now." The Timberwolves are trying to play loose as well but are struggling against winning teams and got rocked at home by the Utah Jazz in a 121-97 loss on Sunday. "I'm not sure I've ever seen the West like this time," Minnesota 18-year veteran Jamal Crawford told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I've seen it go down to the last day, matchup-wise. But you lose a few in a row and you can be on the outside looking in. It’s definitely different."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, FS North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (44-34): Minnesota is expecting to get a boost down the stretch from All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler, who went through his first full-contact practice on Tuesday since undergoing surgery on his on his right knee five weeks ago. The Timberwolves are 8-8 since Butler went down and he is looking to bring some much-needed toughness to the team. "We just gotta get tougher," Butler told reporters. "We gotta play like some dogs with a sense of urgency. Teams just do whatever they want against us. I don’t like it. Ain't no coach in the world that can make somebody play hard. Ain't no coach in the world that can make anybody want it. Right now, in the position we are ... we gotta realize that as a whole, we got to go out there and be the tougher team every single night, every single possession."

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (43-35): Denver's playoff push is being led by center Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 24.5 points on 56.1 percent shooting, 10.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists over the last 14 games. Jokic delivered 30 points while going 4-of-6 from 3-point range in Tuesday's 107-104 win over the Indiana Pacers. "What he does every single night, and how efficiently he does it, there's not many players that do that," Malone told reporters. "Obviously, he's Nikola Jokic, we're Denver, so nobody is going to talk about it. But he's an incredible player. We ask him to do so much for this team, as a third-year player, trying to carry this team. ... He accepts it. He embraces it, and he goes out and does it almost every night at a very high level."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns is 1-of-11 from 3-point range in the last two games.

2. Nuggets SG Will Barton is 4-of-21 from 3-point range over the last four games.

3. Minnesota took the first two meetings this season with Butler averaging 32 points on 51.4 percent shooting.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 121, Timberwolves 117

Thursday’s NBA games
Golden State won six of last eight games with Indiana; Warriors are 3-2 vs spread in last five visits here. Under is 3-1 in last four series games played here. Golden State won its last three games; they’re 3-6 vs spread in last nine games as road favorites. Under is 5-3 in their last eight games. Pacers won five of their last six games; they’re 5-6 as home underdogs. Under is 5-3 in their last eight games.

Rockets won six of last seven games with Portland; over is 7-1 in last eight series games. Blazers 2-2 vs spread in last four games in Houston. Portland won four of its last six games; they’re 5-0 vs spread in last five games as road underdogs. Over is 6-3 in last nine series games. Houston won nine of its last ten games; they’re 5-2 in last seven games as home favorites. Five of their last seven games stayed under.

Road team won last six Washington-Cleveland games; Wizards covered three of their last four visits to Ohio (under 3-1). Wizards lost six of their last eight games; they’re 11-5 as road underdogs. Under is 5-2-1 in their last eight games. Cavaliers won nine of their last ten games; they covered last three games as home favorites. Last five Cleveland games stayed under the total.

Bucks won their last ten games with Brooklyn (7-3 vs spread); Nets are 2-3 vs spread in last five visits to Milwaukee. Four of last five series games stayed under. Brooklyn lost five of its last seven games; they’re 2-4 in last six games as road underdogs. Three of their last four games stayed under. Bucks won five of their last seven games; they’re 0-10 vs spread in last 10 games as home favorites. Over is 9-1 in their last ten games.

Clippers lost five of last seven games with the Jazz; they’re 2-2 vs spread in last four visits to Utah. Three of last four series games went over. Clippers won four of their last six games; they’re 2-5 in last seven games as road underdogs. Under is 5-2 in their last seven games. Utah won four of its last five games; they’re 0-5 vs spread in last five games as home favorites. Six of last seven Jazz games went over.

Minnesota won its last four games with the Nuggets; they’re 4-1 vs spread in last five visits to Denver. Under is 5-2 in last seven series games. Timberwolves are 4-5 in their last nine games; they’re 2-7 in last nine games as road underdogs. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games. Nuggets won their last three games by total of 7 points; they’re 2-6 in last eight games as home favorites. Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

armadillo sports
____________________________________

Game of the Night - Minnesota at Denver (-5, 225), TNT, 10:35 ET

With four games remaining, there’s no room for error for the Nuggets and Clippers, the teams currently on the outside looking in the race for the Western Conference’s final five playoff spots. Only the Rockets, Warriors and Trail Blazers can rest easy entering Thursday night’s action.

Denver and Minnesota are separated by a single game and will play twice in the next week, squaring off again in Minneapolis to close the regular season next Wednesday. The Timberwolves hoped to have Jimmy Butler back from a knee injury for this first clash but will likely have to hang on without his services since he’s considered doubtful.

The Nuggets have been without one of their top two-way players, Gary Harris, for the last nine games. He won’t be back tonight either, but after losing the first two without him in the lineup, Denver has won five of seven. Will Barton has stepped up on the wing, while Paul Millsap has played his way into a rhythm and is making the type of contributions the team envisioned getting down the stretch when they signed him this offseason.

Center Nikola Jokic’s brilliance has been the one constant, similar to how the Timberwolves’ most stable presence without Butler has been young forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Both teams play through the post, ranking around the middle-of-the-pack in the league in pace but among the bottom-five in defensive efficiency. It would be strange to see this crucial game wind up low-scoring, even though desperation often does yield unexpected results.

The Nuggets have surrendered 100 or more points in 29 straight games but have scored at least 103 in 28 of those. The ‘over’ is 21-7-1 in those contests, and there’s no reason to expect that they’ll slow things down at home since they like to take advantage of their familiarity with the altitude. Both meetings with the Wolves have topped the posted total, though Denver did lose at home, 112-104, on Dec. 20. Harris and Millsap were absent for that one too, while Minnesota has had Butler for both encounters and have ridden his 32-point scoring average to a pair of wins.

Towns has shot over 60 percent and is averaging 19.5 points and 11.5 rebounds against the Nuggets, but he’ll now have to produce as the focal point of the offense. He scored a career-high 56 points against Atlanta last week but is just 23-for-62 from the field in the other four games of this 2-3 stretch that has put the Wolves’ playoff status in doubt.

Jokic has made 47 of his 84 shot attempts from the field over his last four games, including 10-for-24 from 3-point range. He's averaged 29.2 points, 12.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists, bouncing back with a vengeance after a rough outing against Joel Embiid. Millsap looked like a shell of himself since returning on Feb. 27, demonstrating only glimpses of the version we're used to seeing. He appears to have worked the rust off, working at least 30 minutes in each of the last five games and averaging 22.4 points and 8.4 boards.

Minnesota hasn’t covered in a game since beating the Clippers on March 20 and is on a 1-7-1 run against the spread. Butler has been out since just after the All-Star break and it’s been obvious that Tom Thibodeau’s regulars haven’t had a lot in the tank after playing so many minutes looking to make up for their All-Star wing’s absence.

The Timberwolves have failed to hit the century mark in three of their last four games, something that hadn’t happened this season. They’ve only had one other instance where they didn’t hit 100 points in consecutive games and rebounded for a 116-98 win against the Pelicans on Jan. 6. Squaring off against a team that isn’t likely to bog them down may aid their cause. They’ve won four straight in the series, including the last two at Pepsi Center, averaging over 115 points per game in sweeping all of 2017’s encounters over the course of last season and this one.

Game of the Night Too - L.A. Clippers at Utah (-7, 211), Prime Ticket, 9:05 ET

Tonight’s card is fantastic in that it features only one sub-.500 team participating in the six-pack of games, but only one other offering can match the desperation we’re likely to see from the teams above. After salvaging their season with a thrilling comeback win over suddenly vulnerable San Antonio on Tuesday, the Clippers remain alive, albeit needing to run the table while getting some help.

Still, it’s better than the alternative, which nearly became reality since they were down seven points entering the final few minutes before rallying to upset the Spurs. Austin Rivers drilled a huge 3-pointer to erase a deficit inside the final 30 seconds and Lou Williams continued his fourth-quarter brilliance to keep hope alive.

Now L.A. just has to survive its final road game of the season and it will realistically have a chance to claw back into the final eight since the Nuggets and Pelicans have to come to Staples over the weekend. There can be no looking ahead since the Jazz own a three-game winning streak that has it in the driver’s seat for the No. 4 seed, the final available spot that secures homecourt advantage in the first round.

Danilo Gallinari won’t be available, ruled out due to his injured hand again, so the Clippers will have to rely on a rotation that feature rookies Tyrone Wallace, C.J. Williams and Sindarius Thornton in heightened roles on the win. Lou Williams, DeAndre Jordan, Tobias Harris, Rivers and Montrezl Harrell are all playing well enough to trust that they’ll at least be able to hang around in Salt Lake City.

L.A. won the first meeting 102-84 way back on Oct. 24 but has dropped the last two games against the Jazz by double-digits. Blake Griffin was a part of two of the three contests, including the most recent encounter on Jan. 20. Jordan didn’t play in the 125-113 loss due to a sprained ankle, so there’s little that can be taken from the game outside of Williams exploding for 31 points, 10 steals and seven assists.

Gobert has played in two of the games and has shot 79 percent while Rookie of the Year candidate Donovan Mitchell has participated in all three and has averaged 22 points. The 21-year-old guard has scored 21 or more points in 10 straight to boost his season average to 20.4, tops among all first-year players.

The over is 6-1 over Utah’s last seven. The Jazz surrendered 110 points in Tuesday’s home win against the Lakers but have only given up 100 in consecutive games once since Jan. 21 and lead the Western Conference in defensive efficiency, ranking only behind Boston in Philadelphia.

Injury report

The Warriors are locked into the No. 2 seed in the West, so it's no surprise they're being cautious with Andre Iguodala's knee as they remain on the road following Tuesday's win in Oklahoma City by making their lone appearance in Indiana. The Pacers won in Oakland, 92-81, on March 27, but will now have to deal with Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, all of whom missed that game. Stephen Curry remains sidelined and won't return until late in the first round at the earliest.

The Cavs have a fun back-to-back to play as they attempt to secure a top-four seed beginning at home tonight against the Wizards. Head coach Tyronn Lue will be back on the sideline for Cleveland, which enters action even with the 76ers for the East's No. 3 spot and visits Philadelphia tomorrow night looking to snap their newest contender to throne's 12-game winning streak. LeBron James has played in only one April back-to-back since the 2014-15 season but has a chance to play all 82 games this season, so it will be interesting to see how he handles this situation.

George Hill is questionable with an ankle injury, while Washington counterpart John Wall has returned and is looking to play his way back into a rhythm. The Heat have moved into first place in the Southeast Division by a half-game to edge into sixth place in the East. For more, read this Wizards at Cavs preview from BookMaker.eu.

Damian Lillard is unlikely to play for Portland in Houston after aggravating an ankle sprain the other night. With the Blazers looking like a lock for No. 3, we may not see Lillard at all the rest of the regular season unless Terry Stotts throws him out there for a spell in the finale just so he doesn't accumulate rust. Chris Paul and James Harden are back for the Rockets, who will have almost everyone available with exception of Ryan Anderson, considered doubtful due to his own ankle issue.

The Bucks won't have to deal with Brooklyn forward DeMarre Carroll due to a hip injury, but will face Nets sniper Allen Crabbe, whose absence was clearly felt against the Sixers last time out.

By Tony Mejia