The Milwaukee Bucks (24-35) square off against the visiting Houston Rockets (29-30) at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 29 and will air on RSW and FWi.
The Bucks were beaten by the Pistons 102-91 on Saturday. Khris Middleton finished with 26 points to lead the game. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-94 loss at the hands of the Spurs on Saturday. Corey Brewer had a good game for Houston, recording 15 points, four rebounds, and one block.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken his game to another level recently for the Bucks, averaging 17.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.0 blocks over the last five games. James Harden has upped his play for the Rockets. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 35.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 2.6 three-pointers.
This has potential to be a mistake-prone game for Milwaukee’s offense, which ranks 28th in the NBA in ball protection (turnover percentage of 15.5%). Houston’s disruptive defense forces the fifth-most turnovers in the league (15.7%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the first matchup 102-98. Harden was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points.
The Bucks have gone 24-35 Straight Up (SU) and 29-29-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 24-35 SU and 29-29-1 ATS versus the Western Conference. Milwaukee has averaged 108.3 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 98.6. Something to watch out for is if Milwaukee can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.3 points off turnovers per game.
As for their opponent, the Rockets have 29-30 SU and 25-33-1 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Houston is 29-30 SU and 25-33-1 ATS. Offensively, they average 105.4 points per game, which is good for fifth in the league. The Rockets are an excellent long-range shooting team with 642 three-point shots made (10.0 per game), ranking second in the NBA. Moving on to Houston’s defense, it averages 9.7 steals per game, good for first in the league. A large part of Houston’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.7 points per game off turnovers, which ranks fourth in the league.
Houston beat Milwaukee in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou
Notes
On average, Houston scores 105.4 points per game (ranked fifth). Milwaukee ranks 19th in points allowed per game with 103.0.
Houston puts up an average of 106.6 points per away game (ranked fourth). Milwaukee ranks 17th in points allowed per home game with 101.3.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets are a dazzling 11-3. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Milwaukee Bucks have a poor record of 9-24.
Houston has an 18-27 record when allowing at least 100 points. Milwaukee has a 15-11 record when it hits triple digits.
The Bucks have a defensive rating of 106.1 (ranked 22nd), while the Rockets rank eighth for their offensive rating of 105.0.
Milwaukee has an average field goal percentage of 46.2% (ranked sixth). Houston is a subpar 9-22 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Milwaukee Bucks rank higher for their field goal percentage (sixth) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (16th). The Houston Rockets rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (seventh) than they do for their field goal percentage (20th).
Milwaukee makes an average of 23.1 assists per game (ranked eighth), while Houston makes 21.5 assists per game (ranked 18th).
Milwaukee makes an average of 5.7 blocks per game (ranked sixth), while Houston makes 4.9 blocks per game (ranked 15th).
The Milwaukee Bucks rank 12th in offensive rebounding, while the Houston Rockets rank 28th in defensive rebounding.
The Houston Rockets average 9.7 steals per game (ranked first). The Milwaukee Bucks have a poor 8-19 record when they allow at least 9 steals.
