The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in a Monday night NBA matchup at Fiserv Forum. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Trail Blazers-Bucks prediction and pick, laid out below.
Portland has surged to a 10-6 record this season, sitting in third place in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers have lost their last two games, and Damian Lillard is hurting. Chauncey Billups is in his second season as head coach in Portland, coming off a disastrous 27-55 record last season.
Milwaukee is 11-4 this season, second place in the Eastern Conference. Despite the strong record, Milwaukee has lost three of its last four games. Milwaukee won an NBA championship two years ago, and took the Eastern Conference semifinals to seven games last season.
Here are the Trail Blazers-Bucks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Trail Blazers-Bucks Odds
Portland Trail Blazers: +9.5 (-108)
Milwaukee Bucks: -9.5 (-112)
Over: 215 (-110)
Under: 215 (-110)
Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread
Portland will be without Damian Lillard for a bit after the star injured his calf this weekend. Lillard leads the team with 26.3 points and 7.0 assists per game.
Now, Anfernee Simons will take on an even larger role. Simons ranks second with 22.5 points per game. For the first time in his career, Simons has received consistent starting time, and he has rewarded the team with his highest scoring output.
Jusuf Nurkic is averaging a double-double, putting up 13.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Jerami Grant has averaged 19.7 points per game on 48.0 percent shooting. Josh Hart is second on the team with 8.4 rebounds per game, averaging 9.2 points. Rookie Shaedon Sharpe, the seventh overall pick, is averaging 9.7 points per game on 53.2 percent shooting.
Portland has drawn 22.9 fouls per game, which ranks third in the league. However, their free throw shooting has not impressed, ranking 22nd with a 76.9 percentage. Portland's offense ranks 22nd in the league, averaging 109.9 points per game. Portland's defense has been stifling, ranking sixth by allowing just 108.3 points per game to opponents.
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the team with averages of 29.5 points and 12.0 rebounds while dishing out 5.3 assists and registering 1.2 blocks and a steal per game. Talk about a superstar. Antetokounmpo is continuing to establish himself as the best player in this superstar-driven league, shooting 50.6 percent from the field as he leads without Khris Middleton as he continues to recover from wrist surgery.
Jrue Holiday leads the team with 7.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and he is second with 18.7 points per game. Bobby Portis is the second Buck to average a double-double, putting up 13.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Brook Lopez has averaged 16.3 points per game while leading the team with 2.6 blocks per game. Grayson Allen has shot 42.1 percent from behind the arc, averaging 9.8 points per game.
Milwaukee leads the league by averaging 50.0 rebounds per game and is fourth with 6.4 blocks per game. Milwaukee has not scored a ton despite Antetokounmpo's presence, ranking 18th with 110.9 points per game. However, Milwaukee's defense has been dominant, ranking fourth with 106.6 points allowed per game. Milwaukee has allowed the least amount of assists to opponents, allowing just 21.4 per game.
Final Trail Blazers-Bucks Prediction & Pick
Milwaukee clearly is the better team, and while a near double-digit spread should be scary, it is easy to see their path to a blowout victory. Missing Lillard is a huge blow to Portland in this one.
Final Trail Blazers-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Milwaukee -9.5 (-112), over 210 (-110)
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