Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction, NBA Odds
Another ugly result could be waiting for the free-falling Toronto Raptors on Friday night as they visit the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee is a double-digit favourite to win on the NBA odds as the teams complete their season series.
Raptors vs. Bucks NBA Betting Odds
The Bucks are truly an enigma. They have gotten miles better defensively since making a shocking in-season head coaching change after firing former Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin in January and replacing him with Doc Rivers. That’s the good news. The bad is the team remains wildly inconsistent overall and has a penchant for blowing second-half leads in losses.
Can Milwaukee win the East? Likely only if Boston suffers a major injury. The Bucks are in the driver’s seat to finish second behind the Celtics in the conference, which at least means avoiding Boston until a potential East Finals matchup. The question is this: Is it worth fighting hard all the way to the end to finish second in the East instead of third (also would mean avoiding Boston until the conference finals) or better to give superstar and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo a few games off to great ready for the playoffs?
Friday concludes the season series between the clubs, and they split two high-scoring November games in Toronto. Giannis only played in one and was rather quiet. Damian Lillard averaged 26.0 points and 9.5 assists in the two but is no sure thing for Friday.
Milwaukee leads the all-time series 58-46 and is 29-23 as the home team. The Raptors are 6-3-1 ATS in the past 10 overall.
Toronto Raptors
We had the Raptors losing by 15 at Minnesota on Wednesday but were way off as the Timberwolves rolled 133-85, Toronto’s largest defeat in franchise history, 15th straight loss and fourth in a row by at least 15 points. The Dinos were down to just eight available players with RJ Barrett, Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and Gary Trent Jr. all out on top of all the usual guys on the injured list. Barrett and Olynyk were simply held out in the second of a back-to-back, while Brown and Trent Jr. were late scratches because of minor injuries. Malik Williams, a 25-year-old centre, not only made his NBA/Raptors debut but started. He was 0-for-7 from the field and scoreless in 31 minutes with five boards and two blocks. Williams was the 30th player to take the court in a game for the Dinos this season, a franchise record and one shy of Memphis’ NBA record also set this year. Garrett Temple and Jalen McDaniels joined Williams in the starting lineup. Toronto has also now started 21 different players this season, tying the Grizzlies for most. One of the bright spots was reserve Jordan Nwora with his first double-double of the season at 14 points and 13 rebounds. He played with Williams at Louisville. The Raptors are 5-1-1 ATS in their past seven in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Bucks
Bucks All-Star Damian Lillard has missed three straight games with a right groin strain/personal reasons and should be considered questionable for Friday. Again, the Bucks will weight whether it’s worth playing a key guy against such a bad team. Normally, I’d guess no but Milwaukee enters off back-to-back inexplicable losses on Tuesday at Washington and then by 10 at home to Memphis on Wednesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists against the Grizzlies, and Coach Doc Rivers admitted afterward he was a bit concerned about his star’s health: “Medical makes the call. They kept saying he’s OK. But I have eyes. I just didn’t like the way he was moving.” That makes me think Giannis could take this game off. He is on pace to become the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 points on a minimum of 60 per cent shooting from the field. Khris Middleton and Patrick Beverley also were out Wednesday, but that was simply the second of a back-to-back. The over is 6-3 in the Bucks’ past nine.
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