Los Angeles Lakers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction, NBA Odds
Both clubs are going through some adversity, both in the past and the present. The Lakers have dropped two straight, which in a tight Western Conference also means they dropped two seeds in that span. LeBron has returned to L.A. to return his groin strain, meaning he is done for the remainder of this four-game road trip for the Lakers.
The Bucks have dropped three straight, most recently a devastating 115-114 loss at Indiana. The fourth-place Bucks are now tied with Indiana and Detroit, meaning home court in the first-round and more is on the line for Milwaukee down the stretch.
Tip-off at Fiserv Forum goes at 7:30 p.m. EDT with the Bucks a -220 home favourite on the moneyline and the over-under at 226.5 on the NBA odds.
Lakers vs. Bucks NBA Betting Odds
Monday’s loss at Brooklyn bumped the Lakers to sub-.500 on the road this season. L.A.’s 15-16 road record is a concern come post-season, and pulling a win off in Milwaukee won’t come easy. The Bucks are 10-5 in their last 15 clashes with the Lakers, although L.A. is 4-1 ATS in their last five visits to Milwaukee. The Bucks are 11-4 ATS over their last 15 home outings.
What got the Lakers on a roll about a month ago was team defence, and since February 12 the Lakers have still yet to allow over 115 points. L.A.’s struggled to get to 100 points in back-to-back losses, which all together is why nine of the last 11 Lakers games have gone under the total.
Los Angeles Lakers
Monday at Brooklyn was Luka Doncic’s first chance to lead the Lakers without LeBron by his side, and Doncic didn’t deliver offensively. Doncic’s stat line was good enough for a triple-double, but he ended up eight for 26 from the field in a 111-108 defeat. The Lakers starting five of Doncic, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, and Alex Len had never started together.
Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) will return against Milwaukee and could enter the starting lineup, while centre Jaxson Hayes (knee) remains questionable on the injury report. Doncic (ankle) is also on the report as questionable for Thursday. Milwaukee is also the first half of a back-to-back for the Lakers, so expect head coach J.J. Reddick to be cautious in deploying his lineup.
Milwaukee Bucks
It feels like the Bucks are getting an early taste of playoff basketball as of late, and the results aren’t good. Milwaukee’s dropped three straight contests to Eastern teams slated to get into the playoffs, and Tuesday at Indiana showed Milwaukee is coming up with ways to lose. The end of the loss was a tough stretch for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was the fouler in a four-point play for Indiana to go ahead by one and then missed a game-winning three to follow.
Antetokounmpo (calf) is probable to play Thursday, as is Damian Lillard (groin). Against a Lebron-less Lakers squad, all it should take for the Bucks to win on Thursday is good offensive nights from Antetokounmpo and Lillard; although the duo totalled just 34 points on Tuesday.
LAL
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