Two of the most recent four NBA champions will go head-to-head at Fiserv Forum on Friday, as the Milwaukee Bucks lock horns against the Denver Nuggets.
This is the first of two meetings this term between the sides who will reconvene for another encounter at the Ball Arena towards the back end of March.
Match preview
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After returning to winning ways in their final outing before the All-Star break against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Milwaukee Bucks wasted no time picking up where they left off after the hiatus with wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat to extend their run of consecutive victories to four.
However, Doc Rivers's men saw their winning run nipped in the bud by the Houston Rockets in their most recent outing at the Toyota Center on Wednesday morning, which ended in a 100-97 defeat.
A thrilling first 36 minutes of action saw the sides locked at 85 points apiece heading into what turned out to be a dismal final quarter, where the Bucks were eventually outscored 15-12 after doing well to recover from a 7-0 opposition run.
From just his 45th game, Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his 39th double-double of the campaign and the 21st in the last 23 matches with 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, all of which were team highs.
Having now dropped to fifth in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks will need to start looking over their shoulders due to the resurgence of sixth-place Detroit Pistons, who have won the same number of games as their Wisconsin counterparts, albeit with one more match played.
Friday's hosts will now set out to draw the curtain on February on a winning note before kicking off a daunting run of fixtures in March with a road encounter against last season's finalists, the Dallas Mavericks.
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Back in action 48 hours after seeing their nine-game winning run ended by the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets served up an immediate response as they comprehensively edged out the Indiana Pacers in a 125-116 triumph at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
A fast start to both halves put Michael Malone's men in the driving seat with a 17-point cushion leading up to the start of the fourth quarter, where they withstood any threat of a late fightback attempt despite being outscored by 8.
One rebound shy of a triple-double, Nikola Jokic enjoyed another splendid outing with 18 points, nine rebounds and a career-high 19 assists, while also shooting 9-14 from the field.
The Nuggets' 10-1 record since the start of February is the best of any NBA side during that span, and it is no surprise to see them sit third in the West with the exact record (38-20) as the Memphis Grizzlies in second.
Friday's visitors could have hardly picked a better time to return to form, and a victory here in the second of a four-game road trip would set them up nicely for upcoming clashes against the Pistons and the Boston Celtics.
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Team News
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Payton Watson is still ruled out with a right knee sprain but is drawing increasingly closer to a return to action for the Nuggets after a three-week absence.
However, DaRon Holmes II remains indefinitely out for the away side and also misses out here, while Vlatko Cancar is still yet to fully recuperate from a knee problem he picked up in November.
Thirty-two-year-old Pat Connaughton has been battling with a calf injury for some days and is a huge doubt to play any part for the Milwaukee Bucks here.
The hosts could also be without the services of center Liam Robbins, who is on the sidelines with a groin problem he picked up on G-League duty with the Wisconsin Herd.
Bobby Portis is suspended for all of his side's remaining regular-season outings having been handed a 25-match suspension for using a banned substance.
Milwaukee Bucks possible starting five:
Lillard, Prince; Kuzma, Antetokounmpo; Lopez
Denver Nuggets possible starting five:
Murray, Braun; Porter Jr., Gordon; Jokic
We say: Nuggets to win by 6+ points
The Nuggets have been near-perfect over the last month and are starting to really turn on the style after a slow start to the campaign.
We are backing them to edge out their hosts and secure a narrow win when all is said and done.
Adepoju Marvellous
