James Harden scores 17 of his 40 points in the third quarter and Norman Powell has 33 points in the Clippers' 127-117 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

If the Bucks seriously want to bolster their roster, the only way to do so is to trade away one for their top players. It's safe to assume that Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will not be traded, which leaves their All-Star forward Khris Middleton.

James Harden scored 40 points and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-117 on Saturday night.

However, the Bucks still feel that they are a piece or two away from truly competing for a championship. This is where the trade deadline comes in and there have been all sorts of

Milwaukee comes into a matchup against Los Angeles as winners of five consecutive games. The teams play Saturday for the first time this season.

As the Clippers went small and turned up their physicality and intensity on the defensive end, including their willingness to trap on defense, the Bucks lost control of the ball far too many times and repeatedly gave away easy points.

James Harden scored 40 points, Norman Powell added 33 and Kawhi Leonard had 18 in three quarters in their 127-117 victory over Milwaukee.

The first quarter ended with the score tied at 28-28. Giannis Antetokounmpo had nine points, while Damian Lillard had four points and three assists for the Bucks. James Harden led the Clippers with 10 points and three assists.

While Clipper guard Norman Powell is more known for his scoring prowess, our expert NBA predictions expect the veteran guard to crash the boards hard against the Bucks.

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Damian Lillard added 26 points and eight assists for Milwaukee, which swept the three-game season series from Toronto. Milwaukee turned in a well-balanced performance at home to pass Orlando and take over fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks (25-17) square off against the Los Angeles Clippers (25-19) at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on Saturday, January 25 at 10:30 PM ET.Their last time