The Milwaukee Bucks and the Houston Rockets will battle it out in H-town on Thursday night. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Bucks-Rockets prediction and pick.
Milwaukee continues to make a late push in the Eastern Conference as they currently sit just 3.5 games back of the top spot. Houston, on the other hand, continues to look forward to erasing the 2021 season from their memory. The Bucks will look to take care of business on the road against an underwhelming Rockets bunch and continue their climb as the postseason is just around the corner.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Bucks-Rockets odds.
NBA Odds: Bucks-Rockets Odds
Milwaukee Bucks -13.5 (-110)
Over 230.5 Points (-110)
Under 230.5 Points (-110)
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
The Milwaukee Bucks have to find a way to string together multiple wins down the stretch if they want to climb out of the three seed in the east. They are 3-2 in their last five games and 6-4 in their last 10 games. That's good enough to tread water, but not enough to leapfrog the Philadelphia 76ers. Milwaukee has gone through rough spells this season, thanks in large part to untimely injuries. They are fully healthy now and are poised to go on a huge run to close out the regular season.
The last five games have been promising with two wins against Philadelphia and one over the eighth-seeded Hornets. One of their losses during the current five-game stretch was a crushing one-point defeat against the Phoenix Suns. The Bucks' top-ranked offense in the league has definitely returned to form, surpassing 110 points in nine of their last 10 games coming in. Defense has been an issue at times for Milwaukee, but this is definitely a good spot to get back on track on that end of the floor, too.
Why The Rockets Could Cover The Spread
There aren't many positives to shine light on with this Houston Rockets team. The Rockets are 0-5 in their last five games and 1-9 in their last 10. With virtually everyone that belongs on the court out with injuries, Houston's leading scorer is currently Jae'Sean Tate. Tate is averaging 11 points and roughly four turnovers per game. We've seen Houston compete in some games, but their only win in their last 10 games came against the equally underwhelming Orlando Magic.
The fact of the matter is that this team is looking at a minimum three-year rebuild. John Wall put together some solid numbers before hitting the injured list for the remainder of the season. Eric Gordon has been out forever and anyone else that has put up serviceable numbers seems to be out of action as well. The Rockets are a slightly-better defensive team at home and will need to play the best defense of the season if they are going to cover against a juggernaut Milwaukee group.
Final Bucks-Rockets Prediction & Pick
I understand the concern with a spread this large. Truthfully speaking, there shouldn't be an ounce of concern in this David vs. Goliath matchup. The Milwaukee Bucks are healthy, hungry, and clicking on all cylinders on the offensive end. The Rockets have ruled anyone of relevance out for this game. The Bucks will take care of their business in a big way tonight. Bucks by 20+.
FINAL PICK: Milwaukee Bucks -13.5 (-110)
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