LeBron James and the desperate Los Angeles Lakers will be going all-out in order to pick up a huge victory when they host Giannis ‘The Greek Freak’ Antetokounmpo and the red-hot Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night at the STAPLES Center in L.A.
Now, let’s find out if the Lakers can get the outright win or simply cover the chalk as home underdogs in this Inter-Conference clash.
Bucks vs Lakers NBA Betting Odds, Predictions & Pick
The break is over.
25 games to go. #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/K4mV51oWAf — Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) 21 de febrero de 2019
- When: Friday March 1, 2019, 10:30 PM (EST)
- Where: STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA
- TV: ESPN, SPEC, FSWI
- Radio: Milwaukee / Los Angeles
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: Milwaukee -4.5 / Total: 236.5
Why Bet On Milwaukee at -4.5?
The Bucks look like a good bet in this contest because the’v won six straight – and a blistering 18 of their last 20 games overall, including a thrilling 141-140 overtime win over Sacramento on Wednesday.
Veteran point guard Eric Bledsoe had his best game of the season with a triple-double of 26 points with 12 rebounds and 13 assists while Malcolm Brogdon added 25 points and both, Nikola Mirotic and Khris Middleton each chipped in 21 points. Antetokounmpo managed 17 points while playing just 24 minutes as he deals with some recent knee woes.
“He feels good,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters after the game. “It’s not just about the pain or what he’s feeling today. It’s how are we going to have him healthy, have him fresh, have him feeling good going forward. Sometimes you just have to maybe put a little money in the bank.”
“It builds a lot of confidence,” Budenholzer said of his team’s ability to share the ball. “All year, we’ve been talking about different guys can step up and make plays. For Malcolm to make a shot, for Bled to make all the big plays he did, it speaks well for us going forward.”
The Bucks have a better road record (22-9) than L.A.’s 18-12 home mark and they’re the better statistical team at both ends of the flooor in ranking a stellar second in scoring (117.4 ppg) and eighth in points allowed (107.8 ppg).
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 117.38
- Field Goals: 47.91%
- Three Points: 35.09%
- Free Throws: 77.02%
- Rebounds: 49.02
- Average Score Against: 107.84
- Field Goals: 43.14%
- Three Points: 35.86%
- Free Throws: 74.19%
- Rebounds: 44.64
Why Bet on The Lakers at +4.5?
The Lakers look like a good bet in this one simply because they’re completely and utterly desperate as they currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference playoff chase, three games behind the 8th place Clippers.
L.A. is also playing at home where they at least have a winning record, plus they managed to snap a two-game skid by getting past New Orleans 125-119 home win on Wednesday as LeBron James scored a team-high 33 points and dished out 10 assists to lead the way to victory. Brandon Ingram added 23 points and Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points while Rajon Rondo contributed 11 points and 16 assists. Recently, James expressed some public exasperation with his mostly young teammates.
“At this point if you are still allowing distractions to affect the way you play, then this is the wrong franchise to be a part of and you should just come and be like, ‘Listen, I don’t [think this is for me]. I cannot do this,'” James told reporters a few days ago. “Just come and do your job. We do our job at a high level and that’s not a distraction. That’s what you want. That’s what you want every game. You want to feel like you’re fighting for something.”
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 112.36
- Field Goals: 47.45%
- Three Points: 33.82%
- Free Throws: 68.84%
- Rebounds: 46.75
- Average Score Against: 113.59
- Field Goals: 44.94%
- Three Points: 35.01%
- Free Throws: 78.83%
- Rebounds: 46.90
Bucks vs Lakers NBA Betting Trends
- Milwaukee is 9-4 ATS in the last 13 games
- Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee’s last 7 games
- LA Lakers is 1-5 ATS in the last 6 games
- LA Lakers is 2-4 SU in the last 6 games
- The total went UNDER in 4 of LA Lakers’s last 5 games at home
Expert Analysis and Prediction
The Lakers might be playing at home and they might be desperate right now, but Milwaukee has the far better roster of players – and now, the best player in the game in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks are 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 road games, 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 games against a team with a losing record and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall. While the The Lakers have gone 10-3 ATS in their last 13 home games against a team with a road record above .600, they’re also an uninsping 6-19-1 ATS in their last 26 games against their Eastern Conference counterparts and 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games following a ATS win. The Bucks are going to bring their collective ‘A’ games to get the win and ATS cover in this nationally televised matchup against the King!
NBA Betting Pick: Milwaukee -4.5
