The Utah Jazz (35-37, 22-14 Home) will try to break down one of the league’s top scoring defenses when they host the Milwaukee Bucks (52-20, 22-13 Away) on Friday. Milwaukee dismantled the San Antonio Spurs 130-94 at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a standout performance with 31 points and 14 rebounds. The Bucks are two games ahead of the Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference, currently sitting in first.
Utah fell short on Wednesday at Vivint Arena, falling to the Portland Trail Blazers 127-115. Lauri Markkanen had 40 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort, carrying the team.
The Jazz are the 10th seed in the Western Conference. The teams are meeting for the final time this season. Milwaukee will be looking for a season sweep against Utah after earning the win in the only prior game 123-97 at Fiserv Forum in December 2022.
Bobby Portis led the Bucks with 22 points, while Jrue Holiday added 21 points and eight assists. Markkanen had 18 points in the loss.Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.2 points per game, fifth-highest in the NBA, to lead the Bucks in scoring this season. Antetokounmpo also has grabbed 11.9 rebounds per game, second-most in the league. Meanwhile, Holiday is dishing 7.3 assists.
Markkanen’s 25.7 points per game have powered the Jazz on offense. Markkanen also has averaged 8.6 rebounds per game. Jordan Clarkson has tallied 4.4 assists per game. The Bucks are one of the top scoring defenses in the NBA, ranking fifth with 112.1 points per game allowed.
The Bucks are only 1-9 in their last 10 games at Vivint Arena.In the last 10 games, Milwaukee is 7-3 with an average margin of +5.8 (123.5-117.7).
For the season, the Bucks are averaging 116.4 points per game, compared to 112.1 for opponents. Utah has gone 4-6 over the last 10, allowing 119.9 points per game on average while scoring only 115.8 (-4.1 margin).
BUCKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Khris Middleton: 33.0 | 24.0 | +9.0
Grayson Allen: 9.0 | 16.2 | -7.2
Points per game:
Khris Middleton: 21.5 | 14.9 | +6.6
Jrue Holiday: 12.0 | 19.0 | -7.0
Rebounds per game:
Bobby Portis: 7.0 | 9.6 | -2.6
JAZZ HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Talen Horton-Tucker: 30.2 | 15.7 | +14.5
Points per game:
Talen Horton-Tucker: 17.2 | 9.2 | +8.0
Rebounds per game:
Kelly Olynyk: 8.8 | 5.8 | +3.0
Assists per game:
Talen Horton-Tucker: 6.8 | 3.4 | +3.4
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Milwaukee Bucks -8.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
