MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Bucks kick off a stretch of three straight home-and-home sets Wednesday when they host the Chicago Bulls at the Bradley Center.The Bucks face Chicago on back-to-back nights and do the same next Tuesday and Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They wrap up that stretch with games against Washington to bookend the Christmas holiday.Its a daunting challenge for the Bucks, who lost three in a row after winning six of eight contests to move to two games above .500.Its hard to beat an NBA team back-to-back, Bucks coach Jason Kidd said Wednesday. Its tough to beat a team twice in 48 hours, no matter who youre playing. LeBron (James), Chicago, Brooklyn but were professionals. Everybody has pride, and everybody wants to win.Chicago comes into the game looking to bounce back after blowing a 21-point lead and falling 99-94 to Minnesota on Tuesday night at the United Center.Jimmy Butler finished with 27 points and nine rebounds in the contest while Dwyane Wade dished out eight assists but was ejected down the stretch for arguing with the officials.Butler, who like Wade played collegiately in Milwaukee for Marquette, has been red-hot of late, averaging 25.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists over his last eight games.In 17 career games against the Bucks, Butler averages 13.4 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting.Jimmy Butler is playing at a very high level, Kidd said.Point guard Rajon Rondo sat out the Minnesota game with an ankle injury and will be a game-time decision Thursday at Milwaukee.Jerian Grant started in Rondos place and played 19 minutes while Isaiah Canaan covered another 27 minutes off the bench.Rondo was having one of his best practices of the year (Monday), Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told the Chicago Tribue. He was all over the place. He was talking, he was cutting, he was moving. And it was kind of a freak play right at the end of practice. He didnt really land on anybody. Just kind of landed on it wrong and tweaked it.Its point tender right now. Hes limping pretty good. Hopefully with a couple more treatments the next few days well get him back for the Milwaukee games (Thursday and Friday).Chicago will be without point guard Michael-Carter Williams, who was dealt to the Bulls by Milwaukee during training camp but missed the last month with a sore left wrist.In exchange for Carter-Williams, Milwaukee acquired Tony Snell, who started 22 games and averaged 8.3 points with 4.2 rebounds. Snell is struggling of late especially from 3-point range, going 5 for 23 in his last five games.Three-pointers are a problem of late for the Bucks defense. Milwaukee was leading the league in defensive 3-point percentage but dropped to second after the Raptors made 14 of 25 attempts Tuesday in Toronto.The Bulls, meanwhile, are 30th in the league shooting the 3 (30.7 percent) but make up for that shortcoming inside.This is a team that puts a lot of pressure on you in the paint and mid-range, Kidd said. We cant give them threes.And weve got to protect the paint.The Bulls won three straight against Milwaukee. Lou Trivino Athletics Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Liam Hendriks Athletics Jersey . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/815m-jesus-luzardo-jersey-athletics.html . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Dustin Fowler Athletics Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Dave Henderson Athletics Jersey . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. PITTSBURGH -- One of the nations worst secondaries kept daring Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans to throw. So he did. Over. And over. And over.The junior shook off a right ankle injury to throw for a career-high 406 yards and two touchdowns to lead the 25th-ranked Hokies to a 39-36 victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday night.Joey Slye tied the school and Atlantic Coach Conference records by making six field goals to help the Hokies (6-2, 4-1) beat the Panthers (5-3, 2-2) on the road for the first time in 17 years.Pitt came in with the nations 120th-ranked pass defense yet played bump-and-run for most of the game, hoping its defensive backs could win more than they lost.Didnt happen. Instead, three Tech wide receivers topped 100 yards in the same game for the first time in school history. Isaiah Fords 10 receptions included his school-record 23rd receiving touchdown. Bucky Hodges caught six passes for 145 yards and a score and Cam Phillips added 109 yards on a night the Hokies piled up 556 total yards.Its a great feeling when you can do what you love doing and thats throw the ball up and down the field against a pretty good defense, Evans said. One-on-one coverage. You cant ask for anything better than one-on-one coverage.Pitt coach Narduzzi built his reputation as defensive coordinator at Michigan State by requiring his secondary to play physical. Hes intent on doing the same at Pitt, even as the weeks pass and improvement only comes in sporadic bursts. Facing the Hokies, it was no different.We had guys in position to make plays, Narduzzi said. We didnt make them. . Theres not a whole lot of different ways to do it.Evans left briefly in the third quarter after getting his right leg rolled up on but returned to lead a fourth-quarter surge that included Slyes sixth field goal. Slye joked it got a little bit boring knocking in chip shot after chip shot, though hes hardly complaining after the Hokies won at Heinz Field for the first time in five tries and assured themselves of a bowl berth for a 24th straight year, the longest active streak in the nation.Its a notable streak, but bigger goals lie ahead. The Hokies will end the weekend no worse than tied in the loss column with North Carolina atop the Coastal. Virginia Tech owns the tiebreaker, having beaten the Tar Heels decisively this month.ddddddddddddTRICKERATIONJames Conner ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers but offensive coordinator Matt Canada continued to masterfully tinker with the Pitt playbook.Nate Peterman completed 13 of 22 passes for 267 yards with a touchdown and an interception while also catching the first pass of his. Pitt offensive tackle Brian ONeill scored his second touchdown of the season, this time on a pitch from Peterman that resulted in the 6-foot-6, 300-pound ONeill barreling over the goal line from 5 yards out. ONeill, a tight end in high school, scored on a throwback screen against Georgia Tech earlier this month.PINBALL WIZARDOne of the connections between Evans and Ford includes a wild 36-yard gain in which Ford and Pitt cornerback Phillipie Motley batted it back and forth to each other as they went to the ground. Officials ruled it a catch on the field after Ford ripped it away from Motley before it hit the ground. The call stood upon review.WILD MANNarduzzi became increasingly animated on the sideline as the game wore on, convinced Virginia Techs wide receivers were illegally giving themselves and advantage on all those alley-oop passes from Evans.They did a great job pushing off all night, Narduzzi said. Give them credit for that.THE TAKEAWAYVirginia Tech: The Hokies have the weapons to run the table. If Evans can avoid turning it over, the Hokies will be in the ACC title game.When you have three elite wide receivers, you cant ask for more, Evans said.Pitt: Midway through Narduzzis second season, the defense remains a chaotic work in progress. Even the debut of ballyhooed freshman safety Damar Hamlins long anticipated debut did little to help. If Pitts pass defense was even average, the Panthers would be a threat to reach the ACC title game. Its not, and the Panthers almost certainly wont be in Orlando in December.UP NEXTVirginia Tech: Travel to Duke on Nov. 5. The Hokies fell to the Blue Devils 45-43 in four overtimes last season.Pitt: Begin a tough two-game stretch at Miami on Nov. 5. Hurricanes have won two of three meetings since Pitt joined the ACC in 2013. ' ' '