The Bucks return to the road to face the Lakers on Friday, March 8. Milwaukee moved into second place in the Eastern Conference with a 41-22 record. They were on a six-game winning streak before the Warriors ended it on Wednesday. The Lakers are 34-20 and in 10th place in the West. Los Angeles has also won three of its last five games. These two teams will be notified at 10 p.m. EST.
Bucks’ winning streak is broken
Milwaukee is 41-22 overall this season. They are in second place in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks are 7.5 games behind the Celtics for the top seed. The Bucks are also 5.5 games ahead of the 76ers for sixth place to avoid play-in games. Milwaukee had a six-game winning streak in its last outing.
In their last game, the Bucks lost 125-90 to Golden State on the road on Wednesday, March 6. The Bucks’ largest lead was only five points in the game and it came early in the first quarter when they were completely outscored by the Warriors. . Milwaukee shot just 38.2% from the field and 28.2% from behind the 3-point line in the loss. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.7 points per game, which puts him at the top of the lineup. He is also the team’s leading rebounder with 11.2 rebounds per game. Damian Lilliard is dishing out a team-high 6.7 assists per game.
Khris Middleton is out for Friday’s game and Antetokounmpo is listed as probable.
The Bucks are averaging 120.9 points per game, which ranks third best in the sport. They are shooting 49.1% from the field, which places them seventh. Milwaukee is shooting 37.5% from behind the 3-point line which ranks 10th.
On defense, the Bucks allow 117 points per game and rank Milwaukee 19th. They force their opponents to achieve 47% of the peloton which ranks 13th. Opponents are making 35.6% from behind the 3-point line, which puts the Bucks eighth in the defensive category.
Milwaukee is 27-35-1 ATS this season. They are 13-18 ATS when the Bucks have played on the road. Milwaukee is 11-13 ATS while the Bucks were road favorites. They are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games. The under is 33-29-1 when the Bucks have played this season. The under is 9-0-1 in the Bucks’ last 10 games through Friday. Milwaukee is the fifth-fastest team in the NBA at 103.1 possessions per game.
The Lakers fall to the Kings
The Lakers are 34-20 overall this season. They currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is 3.5 games behind the Suns for sixth place in the conference. They are also 5.5 games ahead of the Jazz for the final play-in spot. The Lakers have won three of their last five games.
In their last game, the Lakers lost 130-120 at home against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, March 6. Los Angeles led for the first quarter and the first few minutes of the second quarter before the Kings pulled out a fairly comfortable victory. Nine offensive rebounds were a big help for Sacramento. The Lakers shot 51.9 percent from the field and 46.9 percent from behind the 3-point line, but Lake turned the ball over 14 times in the loss. LeBron James led the team with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting in the loss.
James is the team’s leading scorer at 25.3 points per game. He is also the best passer with eight per game. Anthony Davis is averaging a team-high 12.2 assists per game.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood are out for Friday’s game. James and Davis are listed as questionable and Cam Reddish is probable.
The Lakers are averaging 117.2 points per game, which ranks 11th in the league. They shoot 49.7% from the field, which ranks them third. Los Angeles shoots 37.4% from behind the 3-point line which ranks 11th.
On defense, the Lakers allow 117.6 points per game, which ranks them 20th. They force their opponents to achieve 47.4% of the peloton which ranks 19th. Opponents are making 37.6% from behind the arc which ranks 21st.
The Lakers are 28-36 ATS this season. They are 14-18 ATS when playing at home. Los Angeles is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games heading into Friday. They are 4-4 against the spread while the Lakers have been underdogs at home. The score is 34-29-1 when the Lakers have played this season. The under is 5-4-1 in Lakers last 10 games. Los Angeles ranks 11th in pace of play with 102.2 possessions per game.
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Best Bets
Full Game Side Bet
Rating:
With all the injuries the Lakers suffered, I will face the Bucks Friday night. Milwaukee has been playing much better basketball since the All Star break and their loss to the Warriors was a fluke in my opinion. The Warriors wanted to get rid of the bad taste of their defeat against the Celtics and attacked the Bucks. Milwaukee is expected to return the favor and hand the Lakers a crushing defeat on Friday. Los Angeles is just 4-4 ATS as a home underdog. They are also 14-18 against the spread when playing inside their own building.
Take the Bucks to cover.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks -1
Total choice of the complete game
Rating:
The pace of the game will be extremely fun to watch as both teams enjoy running up and down the field. With many new faces on the field due to injuries, team cohesion could be minimal, leading to defensive lapses. I’m leaning more in this matchup due to the lack of offense and expected high field goal conversion rate.
Take over Friday.
Prediction: Over 233.5
