The Milwaukee Bucks welcome the Orlando Magic to the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 4 and can be seen on FSN-FL and FSN-WI.
The Bucks played well in their last game, topping the Bulls 95-91 on Wednesday. Michael Carter-Williams played a pivotal role, recording his 11th double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Magic, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 103-91 loss against the Spurs on Wednesday. Victor Oladipo had a game-high 24 points.
Elfrid Payton has been hot over the last five games for the Magic, averaging 15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 2.4 steals.
The ineffective offense of the Magic (27th in the league with an offensive efficiency of 99.3) will attempt to infiltrate the elite defense of the Bucks (fourth in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 100.0). The matchup on that end of the floor seems to lean toward Milwaukee.
The Bucks lead the season series against the Magic two games to one, including a 97-91 win the last time these two teams met. Khris Middleton was the game’s top overall scorer with 30 points.
The odds for Milwaukee and Orlando are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Bucks come into this game 37-38 Straight Up (SU) and 41-32-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 26-19 SU and 27-16-2 ATS against the Eastern Conference. Opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Bucks, who rank third in the league in steals per game with 9.4. Milwaukee is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.6 points per game.
In the other locker room, the Magic have 22-53 SU and 37-37-1 ATS records. Orlando has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record.
The Bucks’ win over Orlando in their last game bumped their SU record to 6-4 over the Magic in the last 10 meetings. The Magic lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Orlando held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Milwaukee never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIL, ATS Winner – MIL
Notes
Orlando ranks 25th in points per game with 95.8, while Milwaukee ranks eighth in points allowed with an average of 97.6 given up.
Orlando scores an average of 94.4 points per away game (ranked 25th), while Milwaukee gives up 96.3 points per home game (ranked seventh).
The Orlando Magic have a 15-20 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points. The Milwaukee Bucks have a 20-24 record when putting up fewer than 100 points.
At 7-33, the Orlando Magic have an underachieving record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Milwaukee Bucks are 17-14 when they hit the century mark.
The Bucks have a defensive rating of 100.0 (ranked fourth), while the Magic have an offensive rating of 99.3 (ranked 27th).
The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with a FG% of 45.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Orlando Magic have an abysmal 6-36 record.
Milwaukee averages 18.3 three point attempts per game, and Orlando attempts 19.3 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Bucks have a winning 4-1 record while the Magic have a 4-6 record.
Milwaukee has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.45 this season (ranked 22nd), while Orlando ranks lower at 24th with an A/TO of 1.45.
The Bucks rank 23rd in rebounds per game with 42.1, while the Magic rank 25th with 41.5 per game.
Milwaukee is ranked 25th in defensive rebounds, while Orlando ranks 27th in offensive rebounds.
Milwaukee is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 16.7% (ranked first). Orlando has an abysmal record of 5-19 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 16.7% or greater.
