Several key games are on the schedule to start the week in the NBA. March Madness will soon dominate the basketball scene for most, but the NBA still has a lot to offer.

Bucks Continue Road Trip in Utah

The Milwaukee Bucks go on the road for the second straight game to face the Utah Jazz on Monday night. They had won six consecutive games before losing to the Warriors in San Francisco on Saturday. The combination of Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole was too much for the Bucks as the pair combined to score 68 of their team’s 122 points in the victory. The Bucks are hoping to hold onto first place in the division, as the Bulls now trail them by just a half-game in the Central Division standings. 

Utah is playing the second game of a four-game homestand tonight and is just 3-3 in their last six games overall. The Jazz swept the season series against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, winning their fourth game against them this season 134-125. Jordan Clarkson scored a career-high 45 points with Rudy Gobert out of the lineup. Gobert is listed as day-to-day with a foot injury. It will be challenging for the Jazz to neutralize Giannis Antetokounmpo without him in the lineup.   

The Bucks will get back into the win column with a close victory tonight. 

Nuggets Hope to Avoid Third Straight Loss in Philly

The Denver Nuggets have been throwing away opportunities to catch the Utah Jazz in the Northwest Division standings. Since winning nine out of ten games, Denver has lost two straight after narrowing the lead in the division down to 1.5 games. Monday night they must go on the road to face Philadelphia and hope to win their sixth straight away from home.  

The 76ers are coming off an overtime victory last night against the Magic and are 9-3 in their previous 12 games overall. Joel Embiid scored 35 and grabbed 16 rebounds in the overtime win. He continues to lead the NBA in scoring this season with 29.8 points per game. Their lead in the Atlantic Division standings is now just 1.5 games over Boston, who is 16-3 in their last 19 games. 

The Sixers will defend their home court and get the victory against Denver.

Raptors Face Lakers to Extend Road Streak 

The Toronto Raptors travel to Los Angeles On Monday night to face the Lakers and look for their fourth straight win away from home. They have wins over San Antonio, Phoenix, and Denver and now face the Lakers tonight and the Clippers on Wednesday in Crypto.com Arena in LA to wrap up the current road trip.

The Lakers are 4-11 in their last 15 games and have fallen to 29-38 on the season. They now lead the New Orleans Pelicans by just 1.5 games in the Western Conference and are likely to fall another spot to tenth in the standings if they continue losing games. LeBron James reached another milestone in last night’s 140-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns by reaching the 10,000 assist mark. He is the only player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists in a career.

The Raptors will continue their recent dominance on the road with a victory against the underachieving Lakers.