Looking to end their four-game losing streak, the Bucks will welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to Milwaukee on Monday night.
Without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (groin injury) on the floor, Milwaukee fell 129-116 to the red-hot Detroit Pistons at home on Saturday night.
Ryan Rollins led Milwaukee with 24 points on 9-for-21 shooting. Bobby Portis added 18 and went 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
“I thought their physicality completely took us out of our offense tonight,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of the Pistons. “I told our guys, they haven’t beaten us in two or three years. They’re going to come in with every gun loaded, and they played that way tonight.”
Antetokounmpo, who last played on Nov. 17, leads the Bucks with averages of 31.2 points, 10.8 boards and 6.8 assists in 13 games. Rollins is the available leader for Milwaukee in averaging 18.6 points and 5.9 assists along with 1.6 steals per game.
“I think if we can get on the same page of playing together, get the ball moving and having that as who we are,” guard AJ Green said, “then whenever (Antetokounmpo) comes back, obviously, you have what he does. But being able to do those things together and pair those, it will make us more dangerous offensively.
“You really got to see this time (with Giannis out), it’s not a positive, obviously.” Green said. “But can we make the most of it and be proactive to build more of who we are.”
The Trail Blazers come to Milwaukee on the second night of a back-to-back after they fell on the road to reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder 122-95 on Sunday night.
Portland could not repeat its 121-119 home win over Oklahoma City on Nov. 5, when the Blazers came back from a 22-point deficit to give the Thunder their lone loss of the season. This time, the short-handed Blazers trailed by 21 after the first quarter and the Thunder never looked back.
“We played very slow tonight, afraid to drive it and kick it out,” Portland interim head coach Tiago Splitter said Sunday. “That’s something that cannot happen tomorrow. We got to be more aggressive; that’s how we play. We get too cute with the ball, that’s not us.”
Robert Williams (knee), Shaedon Sharpe (calf), Scoot Henderson (hamstring) and Jrue Holiday (calf) did not play on Sunday. Guards Henderson and Holiday will be out multiple weeks.
Deni Avdija leads Portland in scoring with an average of 25.1 points per game, followed by Sharpe’s 22.6. Center Donovan Clingan averages a team-best 9 boards and Holiday’s average of 8.2 assists leads the squad.
In addition to having the two-time league Most Valuable Player and nine-time All-Star Antetokounmpo sidelined, Milwaukee also will continue to be without forward Taurean Prince (herniated disc) and guard Kevin Porter Jr. (right knee meniscus), who should be back in early December.
Monday’s game will be the Trail Blazers’ first in Milwaukee since nine-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard this summer rejoined Portland, where he played his first 11 seasons. Lillard, 35, played the past two seasons for the Bucks, but he is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 slate recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that ended his season last April in the playoffs.
