Bucks near-record pre-All-Star travels finally end
If it seems like the Milwaukee Bucks have been on the road for most of this NBA season, well, you aren't too far off.
Friday's game at Utah represents the 31st time the Bucks have played away from home thus far this season -- which is one shy of the most of any team before an All-Star break.
MOST ROAD GAMES BEFORE ALL-STAR BREAK
This will be Milwaukee's final road game before the break (two games next week are at home), and what better way to finish it off than beating Utah, where the Bucks haven't won since Oct. 30, 2001. That is the third-longest drought of any team (the Spurs have a hold on the last two spots; Atlanta last beat them in San Antonio on Feb. 15, 1997 and Washington last won there Dec. 11, 1999).
The Jazz have held opponents to 87.0 points per game on their current homestand, which is tied for the fourth-best rate of any homestand in team history.
Two players who could help turn the tables for the Bucks are Michael Carter-Williams and Jabari Parker. The latter is tied for third in the NBA for most fastbreak dunks this season, with 26 (No. 1 is LeBron James and No. 2 Russell Westbrook).
Meanwhile, MCW is trying to become the first Bucks player to average 5.0+ rebounds and 5.0+ assists in a game since 1990-91. Only five Milwaukee players have done it previously:
Oscar Robertson, 1970-71 and 1971-72; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1972-73; Sidney Moncrief, 1984-85; Paul Pressey, 1984-85, 1985-86 and 1987-88; and Alvin Robertson, 1989-90 and 1990-91.
Other notes:
-- The Bucks are the only team to use the same starting lineup in every game since Jan. 1, 2016.
-- Khris Middleton is making 50.7 percent of his 3-pointers in the first quarter this season, which ranks fifth in the NBA.
-- Utah's Gordon Hayward ranks third among starting forwards in assists (178).
Statistics courtesy STATS Inc.
