Pelicans vs. Bucks Prediction
Will the New Orleans Pelicans be able to claim their first win of the 2016-17 season when they go on the road to face the Milwaukee Bucks tonight at 8PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Bucks are favored at home tonight, as they are getting odds of -4.5 points against the Pelicans. The over/under total for the game is listed at 208 points. The Bucks have won their last two meetings with the Pelicans and covered in three of their last four encounters.
The Pelicans have been quite disappointing, as they are 0-8 on the season and just 2-6 against the spread this year. Even with one of the top players in the NBA, Anthony Davis, the Pelicans are averaging just 100.3 points per game while giving up 107.9 points per contest. Davis is doing his part, posting 30.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. However, he could use some help. The team is without Jrue Holiday since the start of the year and Tyreke Evans continues to recover from knee surgery. New Orleans also elected to cut ties with Lance Stephenson earlier this past week.
Milwaukee is now 4-3 on the season following an 86-75 OT loss at Dallas back on Sunday. The Bucks are 3-4 against the spread, including a 2-2 ATS mark at home. The Bucks are scoring 103.3 points per game this season and holding opponents to 101.4 points per game on defense. Giannis Antetokounmpo is emerging as a big start this season, as he is putting up 21.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6 assists per contest thus far. The return of Jabari Parker has also given the Bucks a boost, as he is averaging 17.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
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The Bucks come in healthy and rested for this home game against the struggling Pelicans. The only real test for Milwaukee will be stopping Davis, which is tough to do, but even he can’t do it all by himself. Davis doesn’t have enough surrounding talent to carry this team to a win against a Milwaukee team that is a little under the radar right now.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: MILWAUKEE BUCKS -4.5