Toronto @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 1, 2018 ) Milwaukee 127, Toronto 131

The Milwaukee Bucks are creeping up the standings in the Eastern Conference with wins in three of their last four games, but the lone loss in that span was an overtime setback at the Toronto Raptors. The Bucks will try to return the favor when the Raptors visit Milwaukee on Friday.

The Bucks could not figure out how to contain Toronto star DeMar DeRozan in Monday's loss as the shooting guard scored a Raptors franchise-record 52 points. Milwaukee bounced back by breezing by the Indiana Pacers 122-101 on Wednesday in a win so convincing that star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to sit out the entire fourth quarter. "We would all like to have a game like this where you can keep them under 30 minutes, but unfortunately that hasn't happened a lot this year," Bucks coach Jason Kidd told reporters. "So, this is a good win, especially having that game in Toronto (on Monday)." The Raptors followed up that win over Milwaukee by pulling away in the fourth quarter and downing the Chicago Bulls 124-115 behind 35 points from DeRozan on Wednesday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TSN 2 (Toronto), FS Milwaukee

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (26-10): DeRozan attempted 124 3-pointers all last season but is already up to 114 attempts in 2017-18 and is becoming more confident from beyond the arc. The All-Star knocked down five 3-pointers in each of the last two games and is 12-of-21 in the last three games to bring his season mark to 36.8 percent. "We've never told DeMar DeRozan not to shoot the three," Casey said. "Never, ever, ever. If you want to join the party, go ahead and shoot the three. He's worked on it, it's paying off for him right now. He's shooting it with a lot of confidence. It's a balance. Don't forget where you came from, keep attacking the paint, and that's going to set up your 3-point shot."

ABOUT THE BUCKS (20-16): Milwaukee shot 58.7 percent from the floor and handed out 33 assists on Wednesday, with Matthew Dellavedova (nine), Malcolm Brogdon (five) and Eric Bledsoe (five) joining Antetokounmpo (five) in getting the whole team involved. "It's great having other playmakers out there," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "For me, personally, it's good for me because I'm always alert because I know at any point I can get the ball. So, it's fun to play with Delly, Malcolm and Bledsoe out there." Antetokounmpo recorded seven of the Bucks' 27 assists at Toronto on Monday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Raptors backup PG Delon Wright recorded career highs with 25 points and 13 rebounds on Wednesday.

2. Brogdon is shooting 56.3 percent from the floor over the last five games.

3. Monday's win was the fourth straight in the series for Toronto, which took the final three games of a first-round playoff series from Milwaukee last spring.

PREDICTION: Bucks 120, Raptors 117