The Bucks are coming to Houston to take on an interesting Rockets team. Post-trade deadline, we’ve seen some highs and lows from this Milwaukee roster trying to stay relevant in the East. They’ve been a challenging team all year, but with Kuzma settling in, this team has found new life. In Houston, they’ve struggled over this last stretch, but they remain one of the most dangerous young teams in the league. This should be a great matchup between two of the top teams in the league.
Dillon Brooks Questionable
Jae’Sean tate Questionable
Fred VanVleet Questionable
Cody Zeller Out
Pat Connaughton Out
Gary Trent Jr. Probable
Giannis Antetokoumpo Probable
Houston has been in a spiral since the end of January. They have struggled to find any sort of offensive flow or consistency. With Fred VanVleet out, the problem only became worse. However, that might be changing tonight, with VanVleet listed as questionable. If he’s available for the game, this might be the return of the Houston team we saw earlier this year, which would be bad news for Milwaukee.
The Bucks, on the other hand, have reached their midseason equilibrium. They seem to be evening out with their roster changes, and they’ve been a solid team in February.
The addition of Kuzma has been a welcome sight into the lineup. Just having a steady forward who is available has been a massive upgrade. He’s helped boost up what this offense is capable of while helping with boards. Defensively, he could still be better, but adding more size next to Dame is never bad.
Considering the matchup, Milwaukee will likely give Houston issues. With the Houston offense still struggling, they’ll rely on second-chance points more than ever. That’s nothing new for this team, as they dominate the offensive boards and outshoot almost all their opponents. However, their shooting percentages remain well below the league average. Looking at how many solid rebounders Milwaukee has now, it might be hard for the Rockets to close the gap in offensive efficiency tonight.
The Rockets have a fair amount of size with Jabari Smit Jr. back, giving the team a nice stretch of five options. This team's versatility could win them the game. They have a rotation for almost everything, and Ukoda knows how to use them. The key for Houston in this game will be using that versatility to apply defensive pressure on Dame. They can keep it close if they can force him into a bad night and live with Giannis running on them.
However, I’m not confident Houston can pull it off. They’ve been aimless for a month now. Milwaukee looks put together. It’s a classic case of a veteran team coming together while a young one stumbles. I think the Bucks steal this road game.
Money line: MIL (+130) / HOU (-155)
Total Points: 227
Spread: +3.5 MIL (-108) / -3.5 HOU (-112)
Milwaukee's rebounding, interior defense, and offense give them a great shot a taking this game. Even if VanVleet returns, the Rockets still have some big issues on offense. If Milwaukee can just keep them off the offensive glass, they should be able to run away with this one. He could be in for a big night, especially with how Giannis matches up against them.
Looking back at these teams, they’ve both been capable of putting up points. Milwaukee seems to hit the 227 mark almost every other game, while Houston hits it most nights. Considering how much downhill scoring both teams have, we could see a ton of points scored.
Again, I like the Bucks odds in this one. They one the last matchup against Houston when the Rockets were beating everyone. Now that they’ve slumped a little and Milwaukee has Kuzma, the Bucks look solid. Even though the game is in Houston, I don’t think the travel will distract such a veteran group of players.
Giannis seems banged up lately. He hasn’t scored in heaps like he was a few weeks ago. Considering how many strong long defenders Houston has to toss in front of him, the 28 mark looks high for Giannis.
With Jabari back, he provides solid defense and the ability to stretch the floor. Considering how he’s looked recently, 6 rebounds are in his wheelhouse. Especially with how much interior scoring the Bucks have, Jabari will likely be in a great position to grab some boards.
If VanVleet is back, this assists line looks great. He’s had around 6 assists in most games, so this becomes a coin flip. The only problem with this line is how poor Houston has been shooting, which could rob VanVleet of some assist numbers.
Dame will likely play outside all game to open up the paint for Giannis and Kuzma. With his shooting ability, Houston is no stranger to what this man can do from deep. However, Dame has been struggling to hit the 4 made-three mark lately. In fact, when they played Houston last time he went 0-6. Don’t expect Houston to give Dame any easy three-point attempts tonight.