The Houston Rockets (50-13) will try to prolong their 16-game winning streak against the Milwaukee Bucks (34-30) at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, and will air on ATTSN Southwest.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 216.5 points with Houston set as a 6-point favorite.
Houston Rockets at Milwaukee Bucks Betting Prediction
The Rockets will be looking for a similar result after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last game, 122-112. Houston was effective at getting and making free throws. The Rockets made 29 of their 34 free throws (85.3 percent), while the Thunder were 8-11 (72.7 percent). Houston received a boost from James Harden, who had 23 points, 11 assists and five rebounds.
In the Bucks’ last game, they lost a tough one against the Indiana Pacers, 92-89. Indiana’s 14.0 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over Milwaukee, who had a mark of 16.2. The Pacers’ mark was worse than their season average of 12.1, while the Bucks’ was above their season average of 12.5. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the contest.
Second-chance opportunities could be hard to come by for Milwaukee in this contest. The Bucks currently rank 25th in offensive rebounding percentage (20.1 percent), while Houston ranks third in defensive rebounding percentage (80.6 percent). Additionally, the Rockets, who rank first in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.245), could earn plenty of trips to the line against the Bucks, who rank 28th in opponents’ FTA rate (0.225).
Houston comes into the contest with records of 50-13 straight up (SU) and 32-29-1 against the spread (ATS). Games including the Rockets have finished under the total 51.6 percent of the time.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee is 34-30 SU and 27-32-5 ATS. Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when setting the O/U total of Bucks games, with 31 overs compared to 31 unders.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, the Bucks lost 115-111 but covered as 10.5-point underdogs. Antetokounmpo recorded 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The game finished with a total of 226 points, which was just 4.5 points above the projected point total of 221.5 points. Houston did a great job of getting and making free throws (34-42; 81.0 percent). Milwaukee, meanwhile, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (19.0 vs. 11.1).
Houston Rockets vs. Milwaukee Bucks Odds Pick
NBA Pick: SU Winner – Rockets, ATS Winner – Rockets, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Houston is 20-11 ATS on the road with 18 unders, 12 overs and 1 push.
Milwaukee is 11-19-3 ATS at home with 16 overs, 16 unders and 1 push.
When allowing less than 100 points, Milwaukee is 16-5 and Houston is 22-2.
When reaching 100 points, the Rockets are 48-10 and the Bucks are 28-15.
Houston ranks first in three pointers attempted per game (42.4) while Milwaukee ranks 25th (24.5).
The Bucks rank 11th in points in the paint per game (45.4) while the Rockets rank 27th (40.9).
Milwaukee ranks first in fast break points allowed per game (9.0) while Houston ranks 16th (11.8).
The Rockets rank 17th in rebounds per game (43.4) while the Bucks rank last (39.5).
Milwaukee ranks sixth in points off turnovers per game (17.8) while Houston ranks 15th in points off turnovers allowed per game (16.3).
The Rockets rank 19th in second chance points per game (11.7) while the Bucks rank 27th (10.4).
Milwaukee ranks fifth in blocks allowed per game (4.3) while Houston ranks 12th (4.6).
The Rockets rank second in steals per game (8.8) while the Bucks rank sixth (8.5).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Houston is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Milwaukee is 1-4 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Rockets’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 8.4, down from 8.8 for the season.
During their last five games, the Bucks have scored an average of 98.8 points per game (5.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 104.4 points per game (0.7 below their season average).
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