The Milwaukee Bucks (20-20) and Houston Rockets (32-12) are set to clash in a 2016-2017 NBA regular season encounter at the Toyota Center on Jan. 18, Wednesday.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Milwaukee is reeling right now with a two-game losing skid. The team has lost four of their last six outings and are currently in the seventh spot of the Eastern Conference table, one game behind sixth-place team Indiana Pacers and only a half-game ahead of eighth-seeded Chicago Bulls.
The Bucks suffered a 113-104 loss in the hands of lowly squad Philadelphia 76ers at their home court of BMO Harris Bradley Center on Monday night, as per USA Today.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker scored 23 points each and grabbed a combined 11 rebounds in a losing effort. Antetokounmpo also had two assists, two steals, and three blocks.
Malcolm Brogdon was the only other starter in double figures with 11 points, two boards, six assists, and two steals.
Off the bench, Greg Monroe contributed 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Head coach Jason Kidd addressed his team's effort in defending the three-point shot after the game, which is what the Sixers utilized to pull off the win.
"At some point, we have to understand what the 3 means to us as a team if we want to win," Kidd said. "We can talk about it, but if there's no effort in guarding it and understanding, again, it starts with effort. If we don't give it, we're going to give up a lot of 3s."
Meanwhile, the Rockets are also struggling lately with three losses in their last four games. Despite that, they are still at the third spot in the West, one-and-a-half games behind the San Antonio Spurs.
Houston lost to lowly club Miami Heat, 109-103, on the road at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday, Fox Sports reported.
The Rockets got a monster game from James Harden, who earned his 13th triple-double of the season with 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, but still lost the match.
Patrick Beverley had 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists while Trevor Ariza chipped in 11 points and eight boards.
Prediction
The Bucks are 8-10 on the road this season while the Rockets are 16-4 at home. Houston is expected to bounce back from their loss to rout Milwaukee in this match.