When you have seen as much of the season as has been played now in the NBA, you usually have a pretty good idea as to which teams are likely to make a run at the championship. The reality, though, is that unless you have a fully functional crystal ball, you can’t really see what will happen in the postseason, no matter how good a team has looked up until this point. In terms of making predictions and figuring out the postseason, the NBA tends to be a little more forgiving than other sports, as it is usually the top 2 or 3 teams at the end of the regular season who end up going the furthest once we get into the business of the playoffs. Surprises do happen, though, so while it would appear that we are destined to see the Milwaukee Bucks and the LA Lakers meet in the NBA Finals, we can’t really be 100% sure. It would be a fantastic matchup, though, and the good news is that we will get a potential preview of that final on Friday night when the Bucks take the court in the Staples Center. This one is in as a -1 Lakers play, with the point total set at 228 ½. Let’s see how the NBA odds will be for the Bucks vs Lakers.
Bucks vs Lakers 2020 NBA Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Friday, March 6 at 10:30 PM EST
- Where: Staples Center, LA
- TV: ESPN
Good morning LA. #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/V5vHl8Haaz
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 6, 2020
Why bet on the Milwaukee Bucks
Barring some sort of ridiculous late season collapse, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to end the season with the best record in the NBA, which would mean that they would have home court advantage all the way through the playoffs. This is not a team that has had to rely on home court advantage, though, as they are also 25-6 on the road this season, although just 17-14 ATS in those games. The Bucks are showing absolutely no sign of slowing down and come into this one having gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. Milwaukee has also been dominant versus teams from the Western Conference, going 19-4 in those outings, which includes a 111-104 win over the Lakers in their previous meeting this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 119.1
- Field Goal %: 47.89
- Three Point %: 35.78
- Free Throw %: 74.33
- Total Rebounds: 52.16
Defense
- Total Score: 106.71
- Field Goal %: 41.03
- Three Point %: 35.56
- Free Throw %: 77.98
- Total Rebounds: 45.58
Why bet on the LA Lakers
If any team has a shot at surpassing the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the league, it is the LA Lakers. That said, they still have 6 fewer wins than the Bucks, so that is not necessarily something I see happening at this stage of the season. What LA will want to do is get a home win over the best team in the league, as they will not want to head into an NBA Finals showdown with the Bucks knowing that they were swept in the regular season series. The Lakers have been good at home, going 22-7 there this season. They have a winning record versus teams from the East at 15-6 and they are 13-2 SU in their last 15 games overall. The Lakers are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games played in the month of March.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 114.6
- Field Goal %: 48.68
- Three Point %: 35.84
- Free Throw %: 72.64
- Total Rebounds: 46.07
Defense
- Total Score: 107.1
- Field Goal %: 44.62
- Three Point %: 34.54
- Free Throw %: 77.58
- Total Rebounds: 42.08
Bucks vs Lakers NBA Betting Trends
- Milwaukee are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee’s last 5 games.
- Milwaukee are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games.
- Milwaukee are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against LA Lakers.
- Milwaukee are 6-0 SU in their last 6 games against LA Lakers.
- LA Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.
- LA Lakers are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Lakers’ last 6 games against Milwaukee.
- LA Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games at home.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Lakers’ last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee.
Bucks vs Lakers Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
I think we are in for a highly entertaining game here, and I also believe that it will be a tight affair. 4 of the last 5 meetings between these two in LA have gone OVER, so let’s go that way again.
Milwaukee Bucks 117 LA Lakers 114
