The Bucks have won four straight games and will look to make it five straight at home against the Clippers. Here’s the best bet for the ABC game of the day.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
at Fiserv Forum
The Los Angeles Clippers will travel to Milwaukee to take on the surging hot Milwaukee Bucks in the ABC game of the day.
The Bucks have won four straight games at home, knocking off the Thunder, Kings, Timberwolves and Pelicans. The teams aren’t impressive but the wins continue to pile up for the Bucks who had struggled before finally getting on a winning streak.
The Bucks have one of the better offenses in the league with a 20-13 record. They’re scoring 119.5 points per 100 possessions and have an effective field goal percentage of 57.3 percent. The Bucks have done a great job limiting turnovers on offense and have been above average on the offensive glass. This team just hasn’t been very aggressive on defense which has led to less chances at the line.
The Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokunmpo who averages 28.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. The Greek Freak leads the team in all major categories and plays the most minutes per game on the rooster.
Khris Middleton has chipped in with 20.6 points per game along with 6.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists and has really developed into a star for this team alongside Antetokunmpo. The new addition in Jrue Holiday has worked out so far as he’s averaging a solid 16.4 points per game and 5.4 assists.
Defensively, the Bucks could be a lot better. Milwaukee is allowing 111.9 points per 100 possessions and have allowed opponents to have an effective field goal percentage of 54.1 percent. On top of that, the Bucks won’t force a high amount of turnovers either.
Milwaukee has been doing a solid job limiting second chances for opponents along with keeping opponents off the foul line but against the Clippers that might not be enough.
The Clippers are scoring 119.5 points per 100 possessions and have an effective field goal percentage of 57.4 which ranks second in the entire league. Los Angeles rarely turns the ball over at 13.3 percent and while they won’t get a hefty amount of offensive rebounds, they’ll take quality shots where they’ll be able to hit mostly on the first try.
The Clippers are led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George who combine for over 50 points combined per game. Combined these two are walking triple-doubles with both players averaging at least six rebounds and five assists per game.
Defensively, the Clippers haven’t impressed either. They’re allowing 113.2 points per 100 possessions and opponents have shot an effective field goal percentage of 54.5 percent. Just like Milwaukee, the Clippers won’t force many steals but they’ll be able to limit second chances and keep Milwaukee off the line.
The Clippers offense will have trouble scoring around the rim but they’ve been fantastic shooting mid-range jumpers and corner threes.
The Bucks don’t defend the three very well with opponents shooting the three nearly 40 percent of the time against the Bucks. On the other hand, the Bucks are taking nearly 40 percent of threes per game which is way higher than their 33.6 percent attempts at the rim.
The Clippers are shooting 42.5 percent from long range this season and 51.1 percent from the corner three. The Bucks have struggled defending the corner three and basically all threes this season. On the other hand, the Bucks are shooting 40 percent from long range this season and have hit non-corner threes at 40 percent as well, which is an area the Clippers have struggled to guard this season.
Both teams will be taking plenty of open threes where they both have an extremely high percentage. With that, I’m taking the over 236.5 in this match-up between two teams looking for a huge non-conference win in what could be a Championship series in due time.
NBA Pick: Over 236.5 (-110) at Bet 365
