Tuesday NBA Betting Preview - Bucs Looking for a Win
The Bucks will be looking for another big victory when they visit the Wizards in Washington on Tuesday.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS (5-5) at WASHINGTON WIZARDS (4-4)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Washington -4.5, Total: 199.5
Milwaukee is coming off of an impressive win, defeating Cleveland 108-105 as a 5.5-point home underdog. The Bucks have now won five of their past seven games and have covered in five of those contests as well. Washington, meanwhile, defeated Orlando 108-99 on Saturday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak and the Wizards will now be looking to pick up some momentum with a home victory on Tuesday.
These teams played in Milwaukee on Oct. 30 and the Wizards came away with a 118-113 victory as two-point road favorites. Washington is now 6-2 SU and 5-3 ATS when facing Milwaukee over the past three seasons and will be feeling confident coming into this one. Six of those eight games also happened to go Over the total.
One thing favoring the Bucks in this game is the fact that the team is 21-7 ATS in road games where the total is 200 or higher over the past three seasons. They are, however, just 2-13 ATS after having won five or six of their past seven games over the past two seasons, though.
SF Jabari Parker (Foot) and SG O.J. Mayo (Hamstring) are out for Milwaukee on Tuesday and SG Bradley Beal (Shoulder) is questionable for Washington.
The Bucks are going to be coming into Tuesday’s game feeling good after a win over the Cavaliers in their last game. PG Jerryd Bayless (12.6 PPG, 3.8 APG, 1.1 SPG) was a huge spark in that victory, scoring 17 points and dishing out five assists off the bench for Milwaukee. He will need to continue to contribute in this second unit moving forward.
C Greg Monroe (17.8 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.0 BPG) and SF Giannis Antetokounmpo (17.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 1.0 SPG) are, however, the most important players for this Bucks team. The two of them combined for 49 points the last time Milwaukee faced Washington and they will need to come through with a similar performance on Tuesday. Monroe had 16 points and 17 boards against Cleveland in the Milwaukee victory and has really been a dominant force inside on the year. He will need to do a better job defensively in order to keep John Wall and Bradley Beal from finishing at will around the basket.
The Wizards snapped a three-game losing streak and now get to host a Bucks team that they beat on the road earlier in the season. PG John Wall (17.4 PPG, 8.5 APG, 2.3 SPG, 1.8 BPG) will need to have a great game for Washington in this one. He had 19 points and 10 assists the last time he faced the Bucks and is coming off of a double-double (15 points, 11 assists) against the Magic last game. Milwaukee does not defend the point guard position very well, so he should be able to have another great game on Tuesday.
The health of SG Bradley Beal (22.7 PPG), however, is going to be crucial in determining the winner of this one. Beal had 26 points the last time he faced Milwaukee and has been this team’s best scorer on the year. Without his shooting in the lineup, Washington could really struggle.
One player to watch for the Wizards in this one is PF Kris Humphries (9.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG). Humphries had 23 points and five boards in the victory over Orlando and is shooting 47.8% from the outside over the past five games. He is stretching the floor and adding a whole new element to this offense.
