 cut their magic number to two to clinch home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.Sterling Brown, in the starting lineup with the Bucks' rotation thinned by injuries, had 15 points.''I was able to get to my spot and my teammates were just finding me,'' Middleton said.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Clippers (45-31) with 21 points, and JaMychal Green added 16 and Wilson Chandler 15.The Bucks led 67-46 at halftime as Antetokounmpo had 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Middleton added 15 points and Brown 10 as Milwaukee shot 55.8 percent from the field (24 of 43).Los Angeles went on an 8-1 run to open the second half, cutting its deficit to 14 and leading Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer to call a timeout.The Bucks led 79-69 before going on a 9-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Pat Connaughton, putting them ahead 88-71 with 2:49 left in the third quarter.Middleton completed a four-point play late in the quarter and had 13 points in the period as the Bucks took a 100-77 lead entering the fourth quarter.TIP-INSClippers: Veteran guard Patrick Beverley was out with a right hip pointer suffered in the Clippers' 122-111 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday night. Bench stalwart Lou Williams also was out for rest. Coach Doc Rivers called Beverley ''unstat-able'' because his box score numbers do not always do justice to his impact on the court. Rivers pointed to a game in which Beverley did not score but was plus-22 during his time on the court. ''You really can't quantify what he does at times,'' Rivers said. ''He gives us our heart and our soul, for sure.'' ... Landry Shamet returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday's game with a left ankle injury. ... Former Bucks player Luc Mbah a Moute, who played in just four games with the Clippers this season, underwent surgery on his left knee Wednesday in New York. He will not return this season and will not be able to return to basketball activities for eight weeks.Bucks: The NBA announced Thursday that the Bucks will face the Charlotte Hornets in Paris on Jan. 24, 2020, marking the first regular-season league game in France. Milwaukee last played in Europe in January 2015 when it beat the New York Knicks in London. ... Budenholzer said he will plan rest for key players ''day by day'' the rest of the season. ''I think being healthy is the most important thing,'' he said. ''But playing well and having a good rhythm is something we're also talking about and balancing.'' ... Tony Snell missed his second straight game with a left ankle sprain. Budenholzer said Snell is expected to be ready for the playoffs. ... Rookie guard Donte DiVincenzo will not play again this season (heel bursitis). His total of missed games will be 43 due to injury/illness. ''It's certainly not easy for him, what he's going through,'' Budenholzer said. ''But for now, this is the best thing. Just get him healthy and moving, and hopefully have a great summer of development and move on to a great second year.'' UP NEXTClippers: Host Cleveland on Saturday afternoon.Bucks: At Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Mar 27, 2019The club that is tied for the longest active winning streak in the NBA will meet the team with the best record in the league when the Los Angeles Clippers travel to Milwaukee on Thursday to face the Bucks.The Clippers (45-30) earned their way into the playoff field Tuesday with a 122-111 at Minnesota that was far more convincing than the score would indicate. Afterward, the Clippers held a champagne celebration in the locker room after notching their sixth straight win."Hey, ESPN predicted 33 wins; that's what they said," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told his team with a bottle of champagne under his arm. "Charles Barkley: 33 wins. Vegas: 33 wins. And we're going to the damn playoffs." Void of a superstar, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact focal point for team success. Then the Clippers revamped their roster in February, dealing away leading scorer Tobias Harris. And they kept on winning.With seven games remaining, including Thursday's matchup, the Clippers still have a 50-win season as a goal, which makes Rivers a very strong candidate to receive NBA Coach of the Year honors.The Bucks' path to success has been decidedly different. They do have a definitive star in Giannis Antetokounmpo, around which everything in their world spins.At 56-19, the Bucks have won four of their last five games, a run that followed a stretch in which they split eight games that came right after they clinched a playoff berth at the start of March. Milwaukee has a four-game lead on the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings.Like the Clippers, the Bucks are coming off a noteworthy game as Antetokounmpo squared off against James Harden and the Houston Rockets in the battle of MVP contenders.The Bucks won the game 108-94 and Antetokounmpo appeared to win the duel by scoring 19 points with 14 rebounds in a victory, while Harden's 23 points were well under his season average of 36.2 and just the third time in his last 50 games he scored less than 25.The Bucks figure to use the same kind of disruptive defense against Clippers' high-scoring reserve guard Lou Williams, who is coming off his 182nd career game of at least 20 points as a reserve, tied for second most in NBA history.But the Clippers have another scoring threat in Danilo Gallinari, who is on a career-best run of 10 consecutive games with at least 20 points.Like the Clippers, the Bucks have seven games remaining, four of which are in front of the home crowd that serenaded Antetokounmpo with "MVP, MVP, MVP!" chants while the Bucks were defeating Harden and the Rockets."I definitely noticed that," Antetokounmpo said. "... I really appreciate the fans supporting me and supporting the team. Nights like (Tuesday), we try to deliver the fans a win. But as I said in the past, I don't want to think about (MVP). I just want to come in here and try to win games." Clippers guard Landry Shamet is day-to-day with a left ankle impingement, while Bucks just learned that guard Donte DiVincenzo (heel) will miss the remainder of the season. The Bucks will also be without forward Nikola Mirotic (thumb), center Pau Gasol (ankle) and guard Malcolm Brogdon (heel). Swingman Tony Snell (ankle) is day-to-day.--Field Level Media
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