Milwaukee Bucks vs Memphis Grizzlies betting tips and predictions for Friday’s NBA game on NBA TV. Memphis aims to wrap up the 2nd seed in the West with a win over Milwaukee tonight as the two teams conclude their regular season series. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Milwaukee Bucks
The situation for Milwaukee is pretty clear here. They’ve secured the number one seed after their win over Chicago in their last game. Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t even play, Bobby Portis replaced him in the starting line-up and scored 27 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds.
Brook Lopez also added 26 points, while Jrue Holiday chipped in with 20 and 15 rebounds. With nothing to play for here, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer will likely rest all of his key guys. His main issue come playoff time will be the health of Khris Middleton who is dealing with a facial injury and a minor knee injury which forced him to leave the game vs Chicago early.
Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis also played without it’s best player Ja Morant in their last game, which resulted in a 138-131 OT loss to the Pelicans. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 40 points but it wasn’t enough as New Orleans had 3 players score 30 points in the win. Now the pressure is on the Grizzlies here to get out of Milwaukee with a victor which would secure the 2nd seed over the Sacramento Kings.
The Grizz won the first meeting 142-101 back in mid-December, holding Giannis to just 19 points on that night and the Bucks as a team to just 37% shooting from the field and 26% from three. At 15-24 SU they aren’t the most reliable road team in the NBA this season, but considering the circumstances the Grizzlies should be able to come out on top here.
Memphis has covered in 5 of 6 games vs the Bucks, plus they’ve won 4 of the last 6 meetings. At 12-4 SU in their last 16 they’ve been one of the better teams since the start of March, I’m backing them to come out on top here.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Memphis Grizzlies Predictions & Odds
Two of the best defensive teams in the NBA will square off here as the Grizzlies and Bucks enter this contest as the 2nd and 4th ranked teams in defensive efficiency. Milwaukee allows 109 points per 100 possessions, while the Grizzlies are at 108.3 points. The Bucks managed just 101 points in the first meeting back in December and with the majority of their starting line-up out here, they might struggle to reach 100 points once again.
In their last game against the mediocre Bulls they put up only 105 and that was with Holiday and Lopez both playing. Memphis does fancy a fast pace, but considering they’re in a must win situation here they might try to slow things down a bit. On the road they’ve gone 17-22 SU this season, with Ja Morant potentially not suiting up for this one due to a hip injury they might struggle a bit with scoring as well. I’ll take the under.
