The Bucks are on their way to San Antonio, Texas, to take on the Spurs. With two of the best big men clashing in this one, you won’t want to miss it. Will Giannis continue his dominance over Victor Wembanyama? Or will the second-year star hold his own at home tonight? Catch the game at 5:00 PM PT.
Khris Middleton Probable
Bobby Portis Out
AJ Green Out
Giannis Anteokounmpo Probable
Damian Lillard Questionable
Sidy Cissoko Questionable
The Bucks have rounded out nicely as we hit the mid-section of the season. After a rocky start, things have been generally trending up for them. Lillard and Giannas have managed to keep the team afloat while Khris Middleton continues to work his way back. Overall, they’ve developed into one of the strongest teams in the East, with some actual momentum gathering.
The same can’t be said for the Spurs, who started hot; they’ve been looking weak lately. They have only won two of their last ten games. Their defense has completely dried up, though. Allowing nearly 123 points scored by their opponent a game. They can’t keep up offensively when everyone drops massive numbers on them.
It doesn’t feel like the sentiment towards the Spurs has shifted enough. People are still excited to see Wemby, but in terms of their betting odds, they’re still getting strong lines. The fact they are only a 2-point underdog is confusing, considering the Bucks beat them by 16 earlier this month. Betting against the Spurs tonight looks like a slam-dunk line.
Giannis and Dame were devastating in that last matchup. Wemby doesn’t have the strength yet to counter Giannis at full speed. The combination of Giannis’ aggression and Brook Lopez attacking the rim in series was too much for the Spurs to stop last time. I don’t expect to see anything different with most of the Bucks lineup available tonight.
Money line: SAS (+114) / MIL (-135)
Total Points: 234.5
Spread: +2 SAS (-105) / -2 MIL (-115)
Considering the last matchup, the money line tonight feels strong. Despite the Bucks dropping a couple of games on their current road trip, they’ll be able to attack the Spurs all night. With the defensive drop-off of San Antonio, expect to see Giannis and Dame both have solid scoring lines.
The Spurs haven’t been keeping up in scoring. Even though they’re allowing teams to score 123 a game on them, the 234.5 lines feel a bit high. Unless things are clicking on the Spurs tonight, the under is looking safe.
This game doesn’t look like it will be this close. Milwaukee has the veteran talent to take this one cleanly, even while being on the road. If they can keep the pressure on the interior and Dame is hitting his three, this game will be over early.
With how Lillard has been playing this month, 26 isn’t crazy. He’s averaging just below that, and taking on the Spurs, he should have plenty of shot opportunities. As long as his three-pointer is landing, the over on this line should be well within range!
This could be a close game, considering it’s Chris Paul. Despite having parts of his game fall off, his passing ability is still elite. Averaging over eight assists per game, tonight will be a close one, with the line set at 8.5. However, the under feels a bit stronger tonight. Considering he only had seven in their last matchup.
Considering Wemby will have Giannis and Lopez to go through down low, expect him to be taking more threes. However, the three-ball hasn’t exactly been landing lately. Shooting just below 35% from three, on eight attempts per game in January, the 3.5 line feels solid at this price point.
Rebounding hasn’t been Lopez’s strong suit this year. Even though he’s playing at the center position, Giannis is still the primary rebounder, with Lopez moving in transition more often. The team rebounding has also been something eating into these numbers. Lopez has only had over 5.5 rebounds 5 times this month, so the under is the value line tonight.