NBA Odds: Bucks (even)
The Milwaukee Bucks welcome the Denver Nuggets to the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 20 and can be seen on Altitude2 and FSN-WI.
The Bucks played well in their last game, topping the Kings 111-103 in their last matchup. O.J. Mayo was the team’s leading scorer with 21 points on 6-for-14 shooting. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-96 win against the Lakers in their last game. Ty Lawson claimed his 22nd double-double of the season with 32 points and 16 assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Bucks. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks. Lawson has been hot for the Nuggets. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 20.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers.
The odds for Milwaukee and Denver are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Bucks have gone 30-23 Straight Up (SU) and 34-19 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 10-10 SU and 12-8 ATS against the Western Conference. The Bucks are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .466 from the field. Turning to the defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Bucks. The 95.7 points that Milwaukee’s defense allows per home game makes them the fifth-ranked defense at home. Milwaukee’s defense can be considered one of the best in the league. The Bucks allow a .435 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the league. Milwaukee is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 19.1 points per game. Milwaukee will look to take advantage of the Nuggets and their propensity to foul. Denver has committed the most fouls in the league, averaging 23.1 per game.
As for their opponent, the Nuggets have a record of 20-30-3 ATS and 20-33 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Denver is 7-15 SU and 8-13-1 ATS. The Nuggets have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 12.0 per game, fifth in the league. One advantage for the Nuggets could be Milwaukee’s high fouls per game average of 22.3.
These two will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Denver came out on top, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 8-2. With a 6-4 record, the Nuggets also have the advantage ATS. In these last 10 matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once.
Predictions: SU Winner – DEN, ATS Winner – DEN
Notes
Denver ranks 12th in points per game with 100.7, while Milwaukee ranks sixth in points allowed with an average of 97.2 given up.
Denver ranks 18th in points per away game with 97.3 points, while Milwaukee ranks fifth in points allowed at home with 95.7.
Denver has a solid 12-5 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Milwaukee is 15-13 when it puts up under 100.
Denver is an underachieving 8-28 when it allows 100 or more points. Milwaukee has a 15-10 record when it hits triple digits.
The Nuggets have an offensive rating of 101.1 (ranked 20th), while the Bucks rank fifth for their defensive rating of 99.7.
The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the league with a FG% of 46.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Denver Nuggets have a subpar 1-19 record.
On average, the Milwaukee Bucks attempt 18.9 three point field goals per game and the Denver Nuggets attempt 23.4 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 three pointers, Milwaukee has a winning record of 4-1, while Denver has an underachieving record of 5-17.
The Milwaukee Bucks rank 21st with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.51. The Denver Nuggets have a higher A/TO (1.57), ranking 18th.
The Milwaukee Bucks rebound 41.3 times per game and are ranked 25th. Ranked sixth, the Denver Nuggets rebound 44.9 times per game.
Milwaukee is ranked 24th in defensive rebounds, while Denver ranks fifth in offensive rebounds.
Milwaukee ranks first in forced turnovers with an average rate of 16.7%. Denver has a 4-6 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
