clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Bucks vs. Raptors Preview: With Trade Rumors Swirling, Bucks Head To Toronto

2011/2012 NBA Season

vs.

17-27 (7-13 home) 16-24 (6-15 away)
March 11, 2012
Air Canada Centre
5:00 PM CT
Radio: 620 WTMJ TV: FS Wisconsin, NBA TV
Probable starters:
Jerryd Bayless PG Brandon Jennings
DeMar DeRozan SG Carlos Delfino
James Johnson SF Tobias Harris
Amir Johnson PF Ersan Ilyasova
Andrea Bargnani C Drew Gooden

(29th) 99.4 - OFFENSE - 103.7 (17th)
(16th) 103.8 - DEFENSE - 106.2 (23rd)
(25th) 89.8 - PACE - 92.5 (7th)

On the Raptors: Raptors HQ / Raptors Republic / RaptorBlog

March has brought a string of strong performances from many of Milwaukee's key players, but they've had a hard time putting it all together, going 3-4 since the All-Star break. The Bucks will try to earn back-to-back wins for the first time in over a month as they head to Toronto to take on the Raptors, who are coming off a blowout loss in Detroit.

Deadline Decisions. The Bucks currently occupy that most precarious of positions in the Eastern Conference Standings: the dreaded 9th-seed. Only one and a half games behind New York, the playoffs are not altogether out of the question. On the other hand, the Bucks are only three games ahead of Toronto, owner of the NBA's fourth-worst record and a highly-desirable draft slot. The Bucks' biggest fear has to be remaining right where they are. And so, as always, management faces a choice with far-reaching implications. Do they continue gunning for a low playoff seed, possibly even seek to improve the current roster via trade? Or do they admit defeat, and start looking toward the future right now? There have been rumors of the latter, but rebuilding is something Bucks fans will need to see to believe. With the trade deadline less than a week away, the next three games could swing more than just this season.

March On, Jennings. After a miserable February that knocked him out of All-Star contention (and Milwaukee fan favor), Brandon Jennings has put together an admirable bounce-back stretch in the month of March: 26.0 points and 7.4 assists on 56.4 TS%. Continued success from Jennings is about the most we can hope for this season, barring the previously-discussed playoff run suddenly materializing. The Bucks actually have an "easier" schedule going forward, so there's hope he'll be able to get on a nice roll against some bad defenses. Whether or not that means anything? That's a whole other question.