Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction, NBA Odds
The Bucks are 8-point favourites to win on the NBA odds with a total of 238.
Bulls vs. Bucks NBA Betting Odds
Is Milwaukee’s championship window closed? Might the franchise be forced to eventually trade superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo? We are not there yet, and it’s hard to make any official declarations on how good the Bucks might be until former All-Star Khris Middleton makes his season debut to form a Big 3 with Giannis and Damian Lillard. It’s not clear yet when Middleton will debut. Then again, how good will Middleton even by at this point as he has been plagued by injuries in recent years and had offseason procedures on both of his ankles.
Chicago isn’t officially saying that it’s in tank mode this season, but it is. The Bulls owe the San Antonio Spurs their first-round pick in 2025 unless it lands in the Top 10. Thus, Chicago needs to do whatever it can to finish with about the seventh- or eighth-worst record in the league to buffer a possible couple-spot drop in the lottery. The Bulls have too much talent to tank outright – at least until they can find a trade partner for overpriced former All-Star guard Zach LaVine.
Wednesday is the second meeting of the season between these Central Division rivals and their last one in Milwaukee. On Oct. 25 at Fiserv Forum, the Bulls upset the Bucks 133-122 behind 35 points from Coby White and 25 from LaVine. Giannis had 38 points and Lillard 28, but they didn’t get much help, which has been a theme at times this year. The Bulls are looking to win back-to-back games in the series for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
Milwaukee is 6-4 SU but 4-6 ATS in the past 10 meetings overall.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls had allowed an average of 143.5 points during a two-game losing streak but upset the Pistons in Detroit on Monday, 122-112, as Zach LaVine scored 16 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. Fellow guard Coby White chipped in 25 points as well, and centre Nikola Vucevic 29 points and 12 rebounds. The Bulls would like to trade Vucevic this season along with LaVine if possible.
The teams’ big offseason acquisition was guard Josh Giddey from Oklahoma City, and he has been inconsistent in the early going but was excellent Monday with 11 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Vucevic, incidentally, has had a double-double in four of his last five games against the Bucks, averaging 21.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in that span. White has scored at least 20 points in four straight vs. Milwaukee.
The Bulls are playing fast this year, ranking first in pace (105.2) and third in 3-pointers made per game (16.0). Chicago appears healthy other than injury-plagued point guard Lonzo Ball, who is yet again sidelined with a longer-term issue after lasting only three games this year. The Bulls are 4-2 ATS in their past six.
Milwaukee Bucks
Maybe the Bucks are figuring things out as they have won three of four games and got arguably their best win of the season on Monday, 101-100 over a good Houston team. Damian Lillard returned after missing three games in the concussion protocol and hit the game-winning driving layup with 3.9 seconds left. Milwaukee had blown a 14-point third-quarter lead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points and 14 rebounds (and eight turnovers), and Brook Lopez 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Giannis had a crucial block with 19.7 seconds left and the Bucks trailing 100-99. The Bucks didn’t call timeout and pushed the ball up the court, leading to Lillard’s winner.
Lopez, meanwhile, had a scary fall in the second quarter and spent some time in the locker room before returning. So perhaps monitor that. Former Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. is in his first season with the Bucks and has disappointed (7.6 PPG) but had a season-high 12 points Monday. Milwaukee has improved this month defensively, ranking sixth in November in scoring defence in the NBA after 16th in October. The Bucks are 3-9-1 ATS in their past 13.
CHI
MIL