Milwaukee Bucks vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 7/27/20 NBA Pick, Odds, and Prediction

The New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks meet Monday in NBA preseason action at The Arena.

The New Orleans Pelicans look for another scrimmage victory after beating the Denver Nuggets by 15 points. The New Orleans Pelicans are averaging 116.2 points on 46.2 percent shooting and allowing 117 points on 46.5 percent shooting. Brandon Ingram is averaging 24.3 points and 4.3 assists while Zion Williamson is averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds. Jrue Holiday is the third double-digit scorer and JJ Redick is dishing two assists. The New Orleans Pelicans are shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc and 72.9 percent from the free thitem line. The New Orleans Pelicans are allowing 35.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 47 rebounds per game. 

The Milwaukee Bucks also look for another victory after beating the Sacramento Kings by eight points. The Milwaukee Bucks are averaging 118.6 points on 47.7 percent shooting and allowing 107.4 points on 41.3 percent shooting. Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.6 points and 13.7 rebounds while Khris Middleton is averaging 21.1 points and 6.2 rebounds. Eric Bledsoe is the third double-digit scorer and Brook Lopez is grabbing 4.5 rebounds. The Milwaukee Bucks are shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc and 74.2 percent from the free thitem line. The Milwaukee Bucks are allowing 35.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 51.7 rebounds per game.

The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off an impressive win over a really good Denver Nuggets team, and while it’s a meaningless scrimmage, it’s the type of performance that gives a great deal of confidence to a young team that’s going to be fighting for a playoff spot in a week. The Milwaukee Bucks don’t appear to be missing a beat and are the clear better team in this contest, but they’re also a title contender that’s main focus is getting back in regular season form rather than coming away with the victories. You get the feeling these scrimmages and even the results are a little more important to a young team like the Pelicans.

Assuming we get five or more points with the Pelicans, I’ll take a shot with New Orleans.