The Portland Trail Blazers (12-5) travel to Milwaukee to play the Bucks (12-4) in what should be a high-scoring game. The game can be seen on Fox Sports Net Wisconsin at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 21, 2018.
Milwaukee opened as a 6-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 226 points.
Portland Trail Blazers at Milwaukee Bucks Betting Prediction
The Trail Blazers come in on a high note after topping the New York Knicks in their last game, 118-114, as 1-point underdogs. The game’s total points (232) came in over the O/U total of 220.5. Portland’s 9.7 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over New York, who had a mark of 13.9. The Trail Blazers’ mark was better than their season average of 12.5, while the Knicks’ was above the 10.1 mark opponents have averaged against Portland this season. Damian Lillard played a key role for Portland with 29 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
The last time the Bucks took the floor, they defeated the Denver Nuggets, 104-98, covering as 5.5-point favorites. The total points for the game (202) finished well under the projected point total of 224.5. The Bucks had a better free throw rate (0.148 vs. 0.064) and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 30.2 (above their season average of 23.2). Giannis Antetokounmpo was the top scorer from either team with 29 points on 13-for-25 shooting from the field.
This battle figures to be a shootout as two of the NBA’s best offenses go head-to-head. Milwaukee currently ranks second with 113.5 points per 100 possessions and Portland is fourth (111.5). Furthermore, the Trail Blazers are among the NBA’s best on the offensive backboards, ranking fourth in offensive rebounding percentage (26.4 percent). The Bucks, meanwhile, rank second at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebounding percentage of 80.7 percent.
Portland comes into the contest with records of 12-5 straight up (SU) and 11-5 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is exceedingly precise when predicting totals of Trail Blazers games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee owns records of 12-4 SU and 10-6 ATS. Vegas has a tendency to set the total low when the Bucks are involved, as 75.0 percent of their games have gone over the total.
Both teams have had a player step their game up over their last five games. Jusuf Nurkic (16 points,13.0 rebounds,1.8 blocks) has been fantastic for the Trail Blazers while Eric Bledsoe (19 points,5.4 rebounds,5.4 assists,2.2 steals) has contributed greatly to the Bucks.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, CJ McCollum scored a game-high 40 points and the Trail Blazers, who were 2-point underdogs, defeated the Bucks 118-103. He also recorded 6 assists. The game finished with a total of 221 points, which was 7.5 points below the projected point total of 228.5 points. Portland had a better effective field goal percentage (0.621 vs. 0.522). Milwaukee, on the other hand, did a great job of converting from the free throw line (7-8; 87.5 percent).
Trail Blazers vs. Bucks Odds Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Trail Blazers, ATS Winner – Trail Blazers, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Milwaukee ranks third in blocks per game (6.4) while Portland ranks 23rd (4.6).
Milwaukee ranks 3 in points in the paint per game (55.375) while Portland ranks 18 (45.411764705882355).
The Bucks rank 1 in rebounds per game (51.3125) while the Trail Blazers rank 13 in rebounds allowed per game (44.294117647058826).
Portland is 4-3 ATS on the road, while Milwaukee is 7-2 ATS at home.
Bettings Trends:
In its last five contests, Portland is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Milwaukee is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over its last five games.
The Trail Blazers have been outscored by an average of 1.0 point in their last five games. On the season, Portland has defeated opponents by an average of 6.8 points.
During their last five games, the Bucks have scored an average of 117.4 points per game (2.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 112.0 points per game (3.0 above their season average).
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