Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will look to make a big statement when they host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in a prime time meeting of the teams with the identical best record in the NBA.
Now, with the Bucks looking to get back in the win column after having their impressive 18-game winning streak snapped the last time out and the Lakers looking do likewise after having their own, seven-game winning streak snapped in their last contest, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their NBA Odds in this highly anticipated affair.
Lakers vs Bucks 2019 NBA Week 9 Odds, Preview & Prediction
- When: Thursday, December 19 at 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Fiserv Arena, Milwaukee, WI
- TV: TNT
- Radio: SiriusXM
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Week 9 Odds: Milwaukee Bucks -4 (Total 225)
Why Bet On The LA Lakers?
Despite being on the road in this one, the Lakers look like a solid pick to at least cover the chalk because they rank eighth in scoring (112.9 ppg) while ranking an even more impressive second in points allowed (103.9 ppg). The Lakers have also gone a stupendous 14-2 on the road this season and they’ll almost assuredly have superstar big man Anthony Davis back on the court after the perennial all-star injured his right ankle during Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks and sat out Tuesday’s 105-102 loss at Indiana.“We pride ourselves on trying not to lose two in a row so we want to come back on Thursday in Milwaukee and play Lakers’ basketball,” forward LeBron James said.
Then, there’s the fact that the Lakers have seen an upswing in veteran center Dwight Howard’s play recently with the former all-star coming off his best game of the season by scoring 20 points on 10-of-10 shooting while adding six rebounds and two blocked shots in 26 minutes of action against the Pacers.
“Dwight was great at finishing at the basket and gave us great defense as well,” Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel said afterward. “He had a great performance.”
Last, but not least, the Lakers are a perfect 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a road underdog.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 112.86
- Field Goal Percentage: 48.48
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.72
- Free Throw Percentage: 72.70
- Total Rebounds: 45.82
Defense
- Total Score: 103.89
- Field Goal Percentage: 43.57
- Three-Point Percentage: 33.48
- Free Throw Percentage: 79.70
- Total Rebounds: 41.46
Why Bet On Milwaukee?
There are a bunch of good reasons to back the Bucks in this affair, starting wit the fact that Milwaukee has gone a stellar 13-2 at home this season. Then, there’s the fact that Milwaukee leads the league in scoring (121.0 ppg) while ranking a decent 14th in points allowed (108.1 ppg). The Bucks should also be highly motivated after having their lengthy winning streak snapped in their 120-116 home loss against Dallas on Monday.
“At the end of the day, it was amazing,” Antetokounmpo said. “We played good basketball. We played good teams, we played bad teams. But we were able to get the job done. (Monday night), we weren’t able to do that. But nobody said it was going to be easy.”
Another good reason to back Milwaukee is the fact that the Bucks have the more cohesive team, seeing as how this is almost universally the same team they put on the floor a year ago, minus two-way shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 121.00
- Field Goal Percentage: 48.44
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.81
- Free Throw Percentage: 72.59
- Total Rebounds: 51.36
Defense
- Total Score: 108.07
- Field Goal Percentage: 41.51
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.98
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.34
- Total Rebounds: 46.11
Lakers vs Bucks NBA Betting Trends
- Bucks are 13-1 SU in their last 14 games at home
- Bucks are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games played in December
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Milwaukee’s last 7 games against an opponent in the Western conference
- Lakers are 14-1 SU in their last 15 games on the road
- Lakers are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games played on a Thursday
- The total has gone UNDER in 9 of LA Lakers’ last 13 games
Expert Analysis & Prediction for Lakers vs Bucks
I know the Los Angeles Lakers have had the look of a team capable of beating anyone this season, but so does Milwaukee. More importantly, the Bucks are playing at home and they definitely wan to send a message to the Lakers should the pair meet in this season’s NBA Finals.“Yeah, obviously, it’s gonna be a good game, gonna be a test for us,” Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters after putting up 48 points and 14 rebounds against Dallas. “The Lakers are one of the best teams in the league. … Obviously, we don’t want to lose two in a row.”
Milwaukee has gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall. Conversely, the Lakers are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings against the Bucks and an uninspiring 4-9 ATS in the last 13 road dates against Milwaukee. I’m going with the Bucks to get it done behind a monster performance from reigning league MVP, The Greek Freak!
Score: LA Lakers 115 – Milwaukee Bucks 121
