Two teams headed in opposite directions will face off when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
The Bucks, who initially struggled by losing eight of their first 10 games, have managed to turn their season around and will enter Saturday’s contest with a five-game winning streak.
On the other hand, the Wizards are grappling with a 13-game losing streak and are just three losses away from matching their franchise-record losing streak of 16.
Washington struggled against Los Angeles star James Harden in a 121-96 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday. Harden scored 43 points in the victory, including 23 in the first quarter alone.
Wizards guard Jordan Poole, who returned after missing two games with a hip injury, managed just eight points on 1-of-7 shooting. The Wizards shot a dismal 24.2 percent (8-of-33) from three-point range in the loss.
Things will only get tougher for Washington as they begin a four-game stretch against formidable opponents: Milwaukee, Cleveland, Dallas, and Denver.
Despite missing both Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee soreness) and Khris Middleton (ankle surgery), the Bucks posted a 106-103 road win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday. Damian Lillard led the way with 37 points and 12 assists.
Antetokounmpo is expected to return on Saturday, while Middleton could make his season debut against the Wizards after completing a full 5-on-5 practice earlier this week.
Middleton will be joining a team vastly different from the one that initially struggled to close out games in the early weeks of the season.
Lillard has recorded four double-doubles in his last five games for Milwaukee, which led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter against Miami.
Veteran guard Pat Connaughton, who had a slow start to the season, contributed 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench against the Heat in his first action since November 16.
