Portland Trail Blazers vs Milwaukee Bucks betting tips and predictions for Monday’s NBA game on NBA TV. Two elite talents square off at Moda Center tonight as Damian Lillard’s Blazers host Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland concluded a mini 3-game road trip with a loss at Chicago, somewhat expected because they played on a 2nd night of a back-to-back. Lillard continued his stellar play with another 40-point performance, but this time around he didn’t get the much needed help from his teammates, especially on the defensive end.
Chicago shot 60% from the field in that game, it’s hard to win games on any level playing like that. Portland has already lost once this season against tonight’s opponent, the Bucks beat them towards the end of November 119-111 at Fiserv Forum and they are 4.5 point underdogs at home tonight. In that role this season they are 11-17 SU, against the Bucks they’ve got just 1 win in the last 8 meetings which is concerning.
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee has caught steam winning their last 7 games which has propelled them to the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference, just a game behind the leaders Boston. Giannis has had some big time performances during the win streak, he’s averaging 39.4 points per game on 60% shooting from the field and is also grabbing 14.7 rebounds per game.
Against the Blazers earlier this season he had 37 points, they just aren’t equipped with a player capable of slowing him down. What could slow Giannis down in this one is his knee, he is once again listed as questionable on the injury report, so we’re not even sure he will suit up for this one. The good news is Khris Middleton is no longer listed there, his knee has improved dramatically and I’m expecting the Bucks to ramp up his production moving forward.
It all depends on whether or not Antetokounmpo plays here. If he does play, the Bucks will be a force. They owned the Blazers by 8 points in the first meeting and are 8-2 SU in the last 10 played. Back Milwaukee with confidence here.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Milwaukee Bucks Predictions & Odds
During the win streak Milwaukee is averaging 126.6 points per game while shooting almost 50% from the field, making an average of 15.6 three-pointers a night on 37% shooting. Those type of numbers are elite in the NBA, a team like Portland won’t be able to handle the offensive onslaught in this game. They just allowed 129 points against the Bulls who are not even close to the level of the Bucks on offense.
The biggest reason why they rank so low in the standings is their defensive efficiency which is only 27th in the NBA, allowing an average of 113.4 points per 100 possessions. Over the past 10 meetings the two teams have averaged 232.7 points with the over cashing 6 times. Portland’s home games have been a gold mine for bettors who like backing the over – that bet has landed 15 times in 25 games played at Moda Center. I think the trends will continue tonight, so let’s back the over.
