Milwaukee @ San Antonio preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 4, 2020 ) San Antonio 118, Milwaukee 127

The San Antonio Spurs failed to knock superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo off his game in a Saturday night matchup in Milwaukee. They'll get another shot at Antetokounmpo and his Bucks when the teams complete a home-and-home set at San Antonio on Monday.

After keeping Antetokounmpo in check early on, the Spurs tried to get physical with the athletic forward and he responded by converting his free throws - 12 of them in the second half - en route to 32 points. "That's how Giannis is built," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "It felt like they were going to foul him every time he drove it and test him at the free throw line. If they're going to put him on the free throw line, I think Giannis will make them pay for it." While Milwaukee recorded its fifth straight win, San Antonio lost its second in a row and it might need a new plan against Antetokounmpo and brothers Brook and Robin Lopez, who combined for 24 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocked shots. "I thought we did a really good job in the first half, but he (Antetokounmpo) got away from us," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told the media. "It's a hell of a team. Those brothers killed us with the blocks and we were fouling too much."

TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: FS Wisconsin, FS Southwest

ABOUT THE BUCKS (32-5): Eric Bledsoe added 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Saturday's win while Khris Middleton had 20 to reach that mark for the fifth time in the last six games. Antetokounmpo finished with a season-high 15 made free throws - in 18 attempts - to help overcome a pedestrian nine-point first half. "I'm going to trust my technique," he told the media. "I saw that whenever I was getting in the paint, they tried to reach and foul and push me and all that. I said, 'OK, tonight is going to be the night.' I tried to drive it, go in the paint and just make a play for myself or for my teammate."

ABOUT THE SPURS (14-20): Guard DeMar DeRozan stayed hot with 26 points to go along with a team-high five assists in the loss at Milwaukee. He is averaging 25.7 points on 63.7 percent shooting over his last seven games and owns just 12 turnovers in that span. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 16 points in the first half Saturday before going 0-for-7 from the floor in a scoreless second half.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bucks SG Kyle Korver made all three of his 3-point attempts Saturday.

2. Spurs PG Dejounte Murray missed the game in Milwaukee for personal reasons.

3. Milwaukee SG Wesley Matthews has missed all 10 of his 3-point tries over the past four contests.

PREDICTION: Bucks 113, Spurs 109