The Milwaukee Bucks (15-5, 11-2 Home), one of the league’s top scoring defenses, play host to the Los Angeles Lakers (8-12, 2-6 Away) on Friday. Los Angeles blew out the Portland Trail Blazers 128-109 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday. LeBron James was a top performer with 31 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. The Lakers are the 13th seed in the Western Conference.
Milwaukee won their third in a row on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, beating the New York Knicks 109-103. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists to lead the team. The Bucks are second in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Boston Celtics.
This marks the first meeting of the season between the teams. Milwaukee won both matchups between the teams last season, the last of which was a 131-116 triumph at Crypto.com Arena on February 8, their third straight head-to-head victory.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 44 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. James had 27 points in defeat. The Lakers have been led this season by Anthony Davis and James, who are averaging 26.3 and 25.8 points per game, respectively.
Both are among the league’s top scorers, as Davis is No. 1 and James is first. Davis also has grabbed 12.7 rebounds per game, most in the NBA. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook is dishing 7.2 assists per game. Antetokounmpo’s 31.3 points per game have powered the Bucks on offense.
He is the top scorer in the NBA. Antetokounmpo also has posted 11.5 rebounds per game, most in the NBA. Jrue Holiday has doled out 7.3 assists per game. The Bucks rank as one of the top scoring defenses in the league, fifth-best with 107.4 points per game allowed. The Lakers are 1-3 in four visits to Fiserv Forum.
Los Angeles is 6-4 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +5.6 (117.8-112.2). Milwaukee has also gone 6-4 over the last 10, scoring 113.2 points per game on average while holding opponents to 112.1 (+1.1 margin).
LAKERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Austin Reaves: 14.0 | 10.9 | +3.2
BUCKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Grayson Allen: 23.2 | 17.3 | +5.9
Points per game:
Grayson Allen: 14.8 | 11.2 | +3.6
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Milwaukee Bucks -8.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
