The Golden State Warriors (25-1) look to extend their 11-game home winning streak when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks (10-17), who have dropped 11 in a row on the road. The game starts at 10:30 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 18 and will air on GS2 and FWi.
The Warriors won big over the Suns 128-103 on Wednesday. Klay Thompson led all scorers on the team with 43 points on 15-for-22 shooting. The Bucks, meanwhile, are coming off a 103-90 loss at the hands of the Clippers on Wednesday. Khris Middleton posted 15 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
Over the last five games, Draymond Green and Thompson have played at a high level for the Warriors. During that stretch, Green has averaged 18.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 2.6 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Thompson has put up 28.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 5.8 three-pointers.
The high-octane Warriors offense (first in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 113.5) will square off against the poor Bucks defense (28th in the league with a defensive efficiency of 106.2), a matchup that should favor the Warriors. Furthermore, the 26th-ranked offense of the Bucks (offensive efficiency of 99.8) will face a tough test against the fourth-ranked defense of the Warriors (defensive efficiency of 98.5).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bucks won the first game 108-95. Greg Monroe played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
The Warriors are a considerable 16-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 210 points. The Warriors are attempting to build on their records of 25-1 Straight Up (SU) and 16-8-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 9-1 SU and 5-4-1 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Warriors have the most prolific offense in the entire league, averaging 115.8 points per game. Golden State is excellent from the perimeter with a league-high 343 three-pointers made (13.0 per game). Golden State has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up an average of 47.2 rebounds per game. No team in the league has a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Golden State, which tops the league at 1.83. Turning to the defensive side, teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Warriors, who have allowed only 6.0 three-pointers to opponents per game. The Warriors are the third-best team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 6.7 blocks per game. Expect Golden State to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Bucks, who lead the league with an average of 23.8 fouls per game.
On the other side, the Bucks head into the game with records of 12-15 ATS and 10-17 SU. In Western Conference games, Milwaukee has gone 3-6 SU and 4-5 ATS. Milwaukee makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fourth in points off turnovers with an average of 19.1 per game.
Milwaukee won the last meeting this season between these two teams, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over the last 10 games. However, the Bucks lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS, O/U – Under
Notes
Golden State is 24-1 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Golden State’s last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Golden State’s last 21 games at home.
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Golden State is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Milwaukee.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State’s last 6 games when playing Milwaukee.
Golden State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Golden State’s last 8 games when playing at home against Milwaukee.
Milwaukee ranks 29th in points per game with 95.3, while Golden State ranks 20th in points allowed with an average of 102.2 given up.
Milwaukee ranks 30th in points per away game with 90.6 points, while Golden State ranks sixth in points allowed at home with 95.9.
When Golden State gives up fewer than 100 points, the team has a perfect 11-0 record. In games where it scores fewer than 100 points, Milwaukee has a losing 5-13 record.
Golden State is above 0.500 (14-1) when it gives up 100 or more points this season. Milwaukee has a 5-4 record when it hits the century mark.
The Warriors have the league’s top offensive rating (113.5). The Bucks have a defensive rating of 106.2 (ranked 28th).
On average, Golden State has 102.0 possessions per game and scores 1.135 points on each possession. Milwaukee has both fewer possessions (95.5) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.998).
The Golden State Warriors have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking first in the league with an EFF% of 56.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Milwaukee Bucks are winless with a 0-6 record.
Golden State attempts an average of 30.0 three pointers per game, and Milwaukee attempts 17.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Warriors have a stellar 24-1 record while the Bucks are winless at 0-3.
Golden State ranks at the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.83 this season. Milwaukee ranks 11th with an A/TO of 1.58.
The Golden State Warriors are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 47.2 per game (ranked third). The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the worst rebounding teams with 40.2 rebounds per game (ranked 30th).
The Milwaukee Bucks rank 22nd in offensive rebounding, while the Golden State Warriors rank third in defensive rebounding.
Though Milwaukee is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.8% (ranked seventh), Golden State has a superb 12-1 record SU when it has a TOV% of 15.8% or greater.
