The Lakers are visiting Wisconsin in the third game of their road trip, while the Bucks are playing the second of back-to-back matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Los Angeles Lakers at Milwaukee Bucks
Spread: Milwaukee Bucks -5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 214 points (-110)
The Lakers are hoping to end the two-game losing run
The Los Angeles Lakers are on the Eastern Conference road trip, and they already suffered consecutive losses against the Boston Celtics, and most recently, the Washington Wizards, 95:111. In all honesty, nobody expected them to win in Boston and Washington, but it must be said that Los Angeles is not playing poorly at the moment and has the 5-7 record.
The Lakers lost all four quarters against the Wizards and had an awful percentage from the field goal (36%), hitting just three out of 23 attempts from beyond the arc. Los Angeles did make 30 free-throws and was equal in the other segments, but in the end, the poor shooting cost them a win in the capital. Brook Lopez led the Lakers with 15 points, four rebounds, and team-high two rejections, while Jordan Clarkson added 15 points off the bench. Kyle Kuzma scored 13 points along with nine boards, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and game-high three steals, while Julius Randle came close to recording his second double-double of the season with 11 points and nine boards. Lonzo Ball didn’t have the best shooting display (3-12 FG, 1-7 3PT, 3-7 FT), but almost posted his first career triple-double with ten points, eight dimes, and eight rebounds, along with a couple of thefts. Ball will have a tough matchup against Eric Bledsoe, and 29.2% from the field is a big problem for the point guard, so I don’t expect him to score plenty of points on this one. On the other hand, the rookie is quite helpful in the offense and plays a significant role in the defense as well, so he will have a big part to play in Milwaukee. Lopez should have a good night under the rims as he faces John Henson who is a solid defender, but Bro-Lo knows how to draw fouls, and Henson is known as a player who can get into foul trouble early in a match. I expect a solid performance from Clarkson, Ingram, and Randle, and they should all record double digits on Saturday.
Luke Walton is without a power forward Larry Nance Jr. as he sustained metacarpal fracture against the Portland Trail Blazers and will miss between four and six weeks, so Kyle Kuzma and Julius Randle will benefit from Larry’s absence. Kuzma is facing GiannisAntetokounmpo, and I don’t think he has a chance to make a mark in this matchup, but Randle could play an important role off the bench as the Lakers’ second unit has more quality than Milwaukee’s. The Lakers are scoring 104.67 points per contest on average (20th in the NBA), while they are allowing 107.58 points in return (21st in the NBA). Los Angeles is among the ten best (7th) in the league when it comes to rebounding (46.25), while their defense is allowing just 31.94$ from the perimeter, which is good for the fourth position in the entire association.
Place: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date/Time: Saturday, November 11th, 2017, 8:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: FOX SPORTS WISCONSIN, SPECSN/SPECD, NBA TV CANADA
The Bucks are looking for back-to-back win as they return home after four games on the road
The Milwaukee Bucks snapped the four-game losing streak with a surprising 94-87 victory in Texas against the San Antonio Spurs, and now are hoping for another win in a match where they are the favorites. The four-game road trip didn’t pass very well for the Bucks, but at least they managed to upset the Spurs and boost a morale prior to the clash with the Lakers.
Despite hitting only five three-pointers on 18 attempts (27.8%), and miserable seven out of 14 from the free-throw line, the Bucks won for being better in other categories. They were very careful in the offense and committed 14 turnovers in opposite to San Antonio’s 18, and had more rebounds (47-43), and assists (27-23). GiannisAntetokounmpo led Milwaukee with his sixth double-double of the season of 28 points and 12 boards, along with five dishes, and game-high four blocks. The “Greek Freak” is one of the candidates for an MVP award this year, and he is a player to watch in a matchup with the rookie power forward Kyle Kuzma, so I am expecting Giannis to continue two excellent performances. Khris Middleton added 13 points and eight rebounds, John Henson had a decent game with ten points, seven boards, six dimes, two blocks, and two steals, while the newly-acquired Eric Bledsoe debuted for the Bucks. The point guard, who came in a trade with Phoenix that saw Greg Monroe going the other way, contributed with 13 points, seven assists, and four rebounds in 28 minutes, while Malcolm Brogdon moved to the bench as Bledsoe took over the starting duties at the point. The former Sun will be under the spotlight in a matchup with Lonzo Ball, and he shouldn’t have problems to display a worthy performance in his first game in front of the new crowd.
Jason Kidd still cannot count on long-term injured Jabari Parker, while he is also without the Bosnian power forward MirzaTeletovic, who is sidelined with a left knee soreness. Mirza didn’t play in San Antonio, and Kidd said that he could miss more than one game. The Bucks are scoring 105.40 points per contest on average (17th in the NBA), while they are allowing 108.70 points in return (24th in the NBA). Milwaukee is among the top five teams in the league (2nd) when it comes to field goal percentage (49.17%) and three-point shooting (40.07%), where they are in the third position so far.
Los Angeles Lakers at Milwaukee Bucks Trends & Prediction
The Lakers are 6-6 against the spread (2-3 away), while they are 5-7 on over/under (2-3 away), so betting on unpredictable Los Angeles is not an easy thing at all. However, I think this point limit is a bit too high so that I would opt for UNDER here.
The Bucks are 3-7-1 against the spread (1-4 home), while they are 6-5 on over/under (2-3 home), so even though they played on Friday and lost plenty of energy against the Spurs, I believe they still have plenty in the tank left to beat the Lakers. My advice would be to back the hosts on this one.
My Pick: Milwaukee -5 (-110)
Total: Under 214 (-110)
