NBA Betting Picks – Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have made their new home in downtown a house of horrors for opponents by posting 22 wins in 26 games at Fiserv Forum.
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They’ve been good on the road, too. The Bucks return to their new digs for a showdown with the Washington Wizards after winning the last five games on a just completed six-game road trip, including a 16-point victory over the Wiz just four days ago in DC.
Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks
Date and Time: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 8 p.m. ET
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Opening NBA Odds: Bucks -12, O/U 230
Wizards at Bucks TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
After losing at home to Atlanta on Sunday, the Wizards chances of creeping into the top eight in the East took a significant blow. Their chances of reaching the postseason were slim anyway after the loss of John Wall, but the Wiz have struggled mightily recently. They’ve dropped two straight with defense a major stumbling block. In losses to the Hawks and Bucks, the Wiz surrendered a total of 268 points while cashing the over both times.
The recent lapses on defense better get fixed before this one tips off or the Wizards could be in trouble like they were on Saturday when the Bucks shot 50 percent from the field, hit 17 of 39 triples, and made all 24 free throw attempts. Atlanta also hit half of its field goals and was 20 of 41 from deep. “It’s something we’ve been trying to figure out all year,” Scott Brooks said of his team’s defensive struggles.
On the other side the Bucks have been remarkably consistent on both ends of the floor. They won’t have to worry about it on Wednesday, but they are the only team in the NBA that hasn’t lost consecutive games. Faced with that possibility after losing the opener of their recent trip, the Bucks responded by ripping off five straight, all by double figures. Milwaukee is the most profitable team in the league with a 30-19-3 ATS record.
Wizards
Taking an All-Star point guard out of the lineup would affect any team. Wall was lost for the season in December with a foot injury that required surgery and the Wizards are 9-9 in the games he missed. The team got more bad news this week, though, when it was learned Wall sustained an Achilles injury and will be on the shelf for most of next season, too.
Bradley Beal has picked up some of the scoring slack in Wall’s absence by scoring 20 or more points in seven straight games. He tallied 27 against the Hawks to lead a balanced attack with six players reaching double figures. The acquisition of Trevor Ariza has proven fruitful as he notched 25 points on Saturday and is averaging 15.2 points per game, which would be the highest season average of his career. But the bugaboo for the Wiz is defense. If you thought the last two games were outliers, you’d be wrong. They’ve been a bad defensive team all season ranking near the bottom of most stat categories.
Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to make a case for MVP and the Bucks are riding him to the best record in the league. The Freak didn’t let a badly missed three-pointer in Brooklyn affect his game, going for 30 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in the 113-94 victory. After losing the first game of the trip in OKC, the Bucks mowed down Detroit, Toronto, Washington and the Nets in succession all by at least 10 points with an average margin of 14.5.
His performance against the Nets followed an equally impressive outing against the Wizards over the weekend when Antetokounmpo dropped 37. The Freak has reached 30 points 22 times this season and the Bucks are 17-5 in those games. While they are one of the most efficient offensive teams, the Bucks are also pretty good on the other end. They allow just 107.2 points per game and boast the NBA’s top field goal percentage defense.
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Numerous coaches have said the first home game after a lengthy road trip is the most difficult. And while that may be the case, the Bucks are showing no signs of letting up. It could take a quarter for them to get warmed up, but the Bucks’ five starters are all scorers and they will be too much for the ragged Washington defense to contend with. Washington did beat Milwaukee back in December in a game Antetokounmpo didn’t play, and he’ll more than make up for the difference, but 12 points is a lot on the NBA betting line.
NBA Score Prediction: Bucks 115, Wizards 105
