The first set of 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament games is upon us with the Milwaukee Bucks hosting the New York Knicks at Fiserv Forum. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Knicks-Bucks prediction and pick.

The Knicks (2-3) are coming off a 95-89 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Jalen Brunson led all Knicks scorers with 24 points, but he shot just 8-of-23 from the field. Julius Randle had a horrendous outing as well and scored just six points on 3-of-15 shooting. Overall, it was a forgettable night for New York, who shot a paltry 34.8 percent from the field as a team.

The Bucks (2-2) are also coming off a loss to the Toronto Raptors, 130-111, when they visited Canada on Wednesday. Toronto held Giannis Antetokounmpo to just 5-of-11 shooting for 16 points, while Damian Lillard tallied just 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.

This should be an intriguing battle of offense (Bucks) and defense (Knicks). Milwaukee swept the season series versus New York last year, with two of the three games being decided by six points or less.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Knicks-Bucks Odds

New York Knicks: +5.5 (-110)

Milwaukee Bucks: -5.5 (-110)

Over: 224 (-112)

Under: 224 (-108)

How to Watch Knicks vs. Bucks

Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread

The Knicks enter this game as 6.5-point underdogs and understandably so. While both have been sputtering to begin the 2023-24 season, the Bucks have the talent advantage, particularly at the top with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Nonetheless, the Knicks probably have the better depth, which should favor them in case they are able to stymie Antetokounmpo or Lillard.

RJ Barrett has surprisingly led the Knicks so far in scoring this season. The Canadian is averaging 21.0 points on 45.3 percent shooting, including 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. However, Barrett is listed as questionable heading into Friday's matchup due to left knee soreness.

Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are both off to underwhelming starts after putting together stellar campaigns in 2022-23. Brunson is tallying 20.6 points in five games so far, but he is shooting just 37.9 percent from the field. Despite his struggles within the arc (35.4 percent), he is shooting an elite 43.3 percent from three-point country.

Randle, meanwhile, is just playing horribly to begin the season. The lefty forward is averaging just 13.2 points and is converting just over 27 percent of his shots from the field. Both of them will need to play much better if they want to stand a chance against the Bucks' elite offense.

Where New York could win this game is on the defensive end. The Knicks boast the No. 2 defense in the league through the early goings of the season. They are third in opponents' points per game, first in limiting field goal attempts, and sixth in defending the three.

On the season, New York is 2-2 against the spread and 1-4 on the over/under.

Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread

Though the Knicks have the depth advantage, Milwaukee has the two best players in the matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

The offense hasn't quite clicked as anticipated for the Bucks, considering they have one of the deadliest pick-and-roll duos in the NBA. Nonetheless, the two are slowly building their rapport together and they should only get better with each passing game. The Bucks currently boast the 9th-best offense in the league, which is solid considering they are still building chemistry with Lillard's addition.

Antetokounmpo is averaging just 24.5 points on 53.7 percent field goal shooting, which is a downgrade from his 31.1 PPG output last season.

Lillard has cooled off since dropping 39 points in his Bucks debut. In three games since then, Dame Time is averaging just 15.3 points on 37.3 percent shooting, including 26.3 percent from three. Lillard should be due for a huge outing after a trio of subpar games and the Knicks could be the unfortunate team to catch his fire.

Milwaukee has sorely missed the production of Khris Middleton, who is averaging just 7.3 points per game this season. This is a result of the Bucks placing the veteran forward on a strict minutes restriction (16.7 MPG) to begin the season. He isn't on the injury report, but Middleton should remain limited in his role on Friday.

The Bucks will need to find points elsewhere until Middleton is ready to fully take off. It's been a by-committee effort so far with Malik Beasley, Bobby Portis, and Brook Lopez all averaging double-figures so far.

The Bucks have gone 1-3 against the spread this season and 3-1 on the over/under.

Final Knicks-Bucks Prediction & Pick

The Bucks should be the pick here. They still do have the two best players in this game and they are playing at home, where they went 32-9 last season. Lillard has been quiet the last three games for Milwaukee and could be due for a big night. Antetokounmpo could also be motivated to bounce back after a disappointing performance against the Raptors.

Go for the under on this as well. Milwaukee can score, but New York ranks 29th in the league in points per game.

Final Knicks-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Milwaukee Bucks: -5.5 (-110), Under 224 (-108)