The Toronto Raptors will travel to the BMO Harris Bradley Center to square off against the Milwaukee Bucks. The game starts at 5:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 26 and will air on FWi and TSN.
The Bucks were victorious over the 76ers 113-100 on Wednesday. Khris Middleton had 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds for Milwaukee. The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off a 103-99 win over the Mavericks on Tuesday. Kyle Lowry had a good game and claimed his third double-double of the season, recording 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Middleton and Michael Carter-Williams have played well for the Bucks. During that stretch, Middleton has averaged 18.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Carter-Williams has put up 19.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
The high-powered offense of the Raptors (fifth in the league with an offensive efficiency of 104.4) will try to exploit the poor defense of the Bucks (27th in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 105.9), a matchup that should be advantageous to Toronto.
The Raptors have won both contests against the Bucks this season, including a 90-83 victory in their last matchup. DeMar DeRozan was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points.
The Bucks are a small underdog, with Toronto favored by two. The Over/Under (O/U) is set at 194 points. The Bucks enter the game with records of 12-18 Straight Up (SU) and 15-15 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Something to watch out for is if Milwaukee can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.7 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Raptors head into the game with records of 16-13-1 ATS and 18-12 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Toronto has gone 10-5 SU and 8-7 ATS. Toronto is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, converting 20.0 shots from the line per game. The Raptors are one of the top defensive teams in the league, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 96.6 points allowed per game. The Raptors are in for a physical game against Milwaukee. The Bucks are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging a league-high 24.1 fouls per game.
The Raptors’ win over Milwaukee in their last clash brought their SU record in the past 10 games to 8-2. Additionally, with a 5-4-1 record, the Raptors have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor, ATS Winner – Mil, O/U – Under
Notes
Milwaukee is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Milwaukee’s last 9 games at home.
Milwaukee is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Milwaukee is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Toronto.
Milwaukee is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Toronto.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee’s last 5 games when playing Toronto.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee’s last 8 games when playing at home against Toronto.
Milwaukee is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Toronto.
While Milwaukee puts up an average of just 96.6 points per game (ranked 26th), Toronto ranks fourth in points allowed, giving up 96.6 points per game.
On average, Milwaukee scores 101.2 points per home game (ranked 19th), while Toronto gives up 96.6 points per away game (ranked fourth).
Milwaukee has a solid 10-4 record this season when it gives up under 100 points in a game. Toronto is sitting at an even 6-6 record when it scores under 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Bucks are just 2-14 this season. Toronto is a winning 12-6 when it hits the century mark.
The Bucks have an offensive rating of 100.7 (ranked 25th). The Raptors rank 12th for their defensive rating of 100.7.
The Milwaukee Bucks average 96.0 possessions per game and 1.007 points per possession, while the Toronto Raptors earn fewer possessions (95.5) but more points per possession (1.044).
Toronto has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.6%. Milwaukee is an abysmal 3-15 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Milwaukee Bucks attempt 17.0 three point field goals per game and the Toronto Raptors attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Milwaukee is winless (0-3), while Toronto is 7-6.
Milwaukee has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.61 this season (ranked 10th), while Toronto ranks lower at 24th with an A/TO of 1.35.
Milwaukee ranks 30th in rebounds per game with 39.9, while Toronto ranks 17th with 43.9 per game.
Milwaukee is ranked 30th in defensive rebounds, while Toronto ranks 18th in offensive rebounds.
Though Milwaukee is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 16.1% (ranked fourth), Toronto has a winning 7-3 record SU when its TOV% is 16.1% or greater.
