New Orleans Pelicans vs Milwaukee Bucks betting tips and predictions for Monday’s NBA game at Smoothie King Center. Two of the biggest stars we have in the NBA go head-to-head tonight as the up and coming Zion Williamson and his Pelicans host Giannis Antetokounmpo at the Bucks. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
New Orleans Pelicans
It’s been a disappointing week for the Pelicans who have now lost their last 3 games, losing the number one seed in the West in the process. The good news is they return home for tonight’s game vs the Bucks, at the Smoothie King Arena they have a 12-3 SU record in 15 games and are currently on a 7-game win streak there.
Zion Williamson will be a handful for the Bucks defense, but I think we can all agree that this team will not reach it’s full potential until Brandon Ingram returns from injury. Joining Ingram on the sidelines here could be Larry Nance Jr. and if that’s the case then the Pelicans lose another valuable defender they can put on Giannis. These two teams have split the last 4 regular season meetings, with each squad winning their game at home.
Milwaukee Bucks
It’s very unusual to see the Milwaukee Bucks as underdogs in a game, but that’s how things stand ahead of tonight’s game. The road team has exchanged wins and loses over their last 5 outings, but they are coming into tonight’s game following a 123-97 home win over Utah.
Neither Khris Middleton or Giannis played in that game, so it was up to Bobby Portis and Jrue Holiday to lead the way with 22 and 21 points. Portis also had 14 rebounds, filling in for Giannis perfectly. Middleton will most likely miss this game, while the Greek Freak is scheduled to return, which automatically boosts the Bucks chances of a win here. Western Conference teams have struggled to beat the Bucks lately, the last 14 such games have ended with 10 wins for Milwaukee.
It promises to be a tightly contested affair, I wouldn’t be surprised if we went into overtime here, but I’m going to side with the Bucks as they do have the experience, plus their road form has been impressive at 7-5 SU this season. Take the Bucks.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Milwaukee Bucks Predictions & Odds
Not a lot of high scoring has been seen in Milwaukee’s road games this season. They are 2-10 on the O/U in 12 games, while the Pels are 6-9 in their home games. New Orleans plays only the 21st pace at home, averaging 99.2 possessions per game.
In road wins this season Milwaukee is only the 22nd fastest team in the NBA, which tells us they win their games by slowing down the tempo and increasing their defensive intensity. Although the over has cashed in the last 3 meetings and is 9-1 in the last 10 between them, I think tonight’s game will be decided on the defensive end. After all, these are the 2nd and 5th best defensive efficiencies in the NBA this season. Let’s go with the under here.
