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Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton Land on Injury Report For Blazers Clash

Matt Levine

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
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The Milwaukee Bucks will be taking on the Portland Trail Blazers later today and they will try to get back into the win column. After going on a nice run that culminated with the team winning the NBA Cup, Milwaukee has stumbled back to their early season habits.

While injuries have played a part in the recent slump, the Bucks won't make any excuses. But heading into this game with Portland, the Bucks know this is a game that they have to take.

However, the team could be playing this game without two of their stars. Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton appear on the injury report heading into the contest.

The two stars are listed as probable so they will likely suit up for Milwaukee. But until they are out on the floor, they can always be downgraded.

If the Bucks want to come away with a win, they will need a total team effort. Milwaukee has had trouble finishing games this season and it's hurt them in the standings.

In their last game against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee had chances to win but couldn't close it out. Antetokounmpo was blunt in his answers after the fact, simply stating that Milwaukee didn't play well.

“Let’s not overcomplicate the game,” he said. “We did not play well. They’ve played harder than us in three out of the four games. We did not play smart, and we just got to go back, watch the film and be better. That’s pretty much it.”

“When you go down 20, that’s when the clock starts for us,” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s when we start to compete. We can’t do that. We cannot put ourselves in the hole and then we just gotta dig out of the hole. It takes too much out of everybody."

The Bucks have the tools to be successful and they've dug themselves out of an early-season hole already. But these bad habits that have formed can take some time to unlearn and unfortunately, Milwaukee doesn't have the luxury of time on their side.

This game against Portland can be used as a get-right matchup but they'll need to execute. While the Trail Blazers haven't been very good this season, they are capable of pulling an upset at any given time.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

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