Bobby Portis returns just in time for the Milwaukee Bucks to gear up for a playoff run.
Portis is expected to take the court when the Bucks (44-34) host the Minnesota Timberwolves (46-32) on Tuesday night. It is the first game in which he’s eligible to play since completing a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug program.
Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. said everyone was excited to welcome back Portis, who last played Feb. 12.
“It means everything, as a team, as a collective group,” Trent said. “(We thrive on) that energy, that spirit. And then just personally, myself as someone on the second unit, I miss him to death. He made my job way easier, so him being back will be a beautiful thing.”
Portis rejoins a Bucks squad looking to push its winning streak to five games. Milwaukee wrapped up a perfect three-game road trip and returns home for a two-game set against the Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Minnesota also comes in hot as it looks to push its winning streak to six games. The Timberwolves are in a crowded playoff race in the Western Conference as they hope to climb into the top six and avoid the play-in tournament.
In their most recent game, the Timberwolves held on for a 114-109 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite the victory, coaches and players said they need to improve in their next game.
“We have too many times individually where we let a missed shot or a bad turnover that we (inflict) on ourselves carry over for multiple possessions,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “We’ll miss a guy leaking in transition, stuff we’re not accustomed to doing.
“We play hard … but when we’ve got too many guys’ minds in different spots, frustrated with themselves or frustrated with the way the game is going for them. You just see like our team just splinter a little bit as far as the connectivity we need to play with.”
The Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averages 30.5 points per game on 60.2 percent shooting from the field. He also paces the team with 11.9 rebounds per game.
Second-leading scorer Damian Lillard has missed the last 10 games with deep vein thrombosis. That leaves Kyle Kuzma (14.4 points per game) and Portis (13.7) to round out the team’s top scorers.
Anthony Edwards leads Minnesota with 27.4 ppg scoring on 44.6 percent shooting overall, including 39.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. Julius Randle (18.7 points per game) and Naz Reid (14.3) rank second and third on the team, respectively.
This is the second and final matchup between the teams during the regular season. Milwaukee won the first game 103-101 on Feb. 12 in Minneapolis.
Trent led the Bucks — who played without Antetokounmpo and Lillard — with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the first game. Kuzma added 19 points and 13 rebounds and Portis notched eight points, six rebounds and four assists in his last appearance before his suspension.
Edwards scored 28 points on 10-for-33 shooting for Minnesota. Reid (22 points, 13 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (20 points, 14 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles.
–Field Level Media
