Bucks vs. Trail Blazers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
After snapping a three-game slide with a 112-97 win against the Lakers on Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to continue their winning ways in Portland against a Trail Blazers team that has won four straight games.
The Bucks are 3-point favourites on the NBA odds with a total of 238.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This will be the second and final regular season meeting between these teams this season. The Bucks routed Portland 134-106 on Feb. 1 in Milwaukee. Six Bucks players finished with double-digit points in the game, while the Trail Blazers’ Nassir Little had a game-high 30. Milwaukee has won eight of the last nine games between these teams.
The Bucks have been scoring in bunches, lately. Milwaukee has hit the Over in eight of their last 11 games, but it’s worth noting the total has fallen short of the number the last five times these teams have met in Portland. The Bucks are 21-26 against the spread this season. They’ve only covered once in their last five games overall, but they’ve managed to cover in 14 of their last 19 games against the Trail Blazers.
Portland has also been putting up points, recently. The Trail Blazers have hit the Over in four of their last five games. They’re 24-23 ATS, but have only covered in nine of 23 home games.
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is hoping their recent struggles have been put to bed after a big win in L.A. over the Lakers on Wednesday. The Bucks are still in a good position at third place in the Western Conference and they hold a comfortable six-game lead over fourth place Charlotte. As usual, Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way against L.A. Holiday finished with a game-high 28 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists. Antetokounmpo put up 25 points, a game-high 10 rebounds, and four assists.
When your team has a two-time MVP like Antetokounmpo, you know what you’re going to get from him every night. What’s really benefitting the Bucks right now is the added production they get from Holiday. The off-season acquisition has provided valuable secondary scoring to back up Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Holiday is averaging 16.4 points per game and leads the team with 1.8 steals per game. If Holiday can shut down Damien Lillard on Friday, Milwaukee will have a good chance in this game.
Portland Trail Blazers
Few teams have been as hot as the Trail Blazers, lately. They’ve won four straight games and dismantled Detroit 124-101 on Wednesday. CJ McCollum and Lillard combined for 67 points in the win and former Raptor Norman Powell added 14. Lillard is second in NBA scoring, averaging 29.8 points per game and he also leads Portland with 7.8 assists.
After missing a little over two months with a fractured wrist, Jusuf Nurkic should continue to see more playing time as he gets back to game speed. Nurkic has averaged 20 minutes of action in the three games since he returned to the lineup. If Nurkic can disrupt Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez in the paint, it should take some of the pressure off of Lillard and McCollum. Portland looks like they’re only getting better. It will likely be by a slim margin, but look for the Trail Blazers to pull out the win in this one.
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