Milwaukee Bucks (37-17) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (25-30)
February 9, 2023 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Los Angeles Lakers +5.5; Over/Under: +239
(Get latest betting odds)
The Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers duke it out at the Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been in red-hot form as they’ve won 10 of their last 11 games overall and they will be gunning for a ninth straight victory after routing the Trail Blazers in a 127-108 road win on Monday. Brook Lopez led the team with 27 points and nine rebounds on nine of 12 shooting, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 points with 13 rebounds and eight assists while Jrue Holiday chipped in with 20 points and eight assists. As a team, the Bucks shot 54 percent from the field and 16 of 42 from the 3-point line as they took the early lead behind their defense, before they exploded for 37 points in the third quarter to push their lead out to 26 points.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been below their best lately as they’ve lost four of their last six games and they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after falling painfully short to the Thunder in a 133-130 loss on Tuesday. LeBron James led the way with 38 points on 13 of 20 shooting to finally break the NBA scoring record, Russell Westbrook added 27 points and eight assists off the bench while Anthony Davis chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds. As a team, the Lakers shot 57 percent from the field and 14 of 31 from the 3-point line, but they were switched on defensively and were always trailing after allowing the Thunder to explode for 76 points in the first half.
Looking at the betting trends, the Bucks are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against a team with a losing record and 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games playing on two days’ rest. The Lakers are 8-18-1 ATS in their last 27 games against a team with a winning record, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a loss and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
Head to head, the under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings overall and the Bucks are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Los Angeles.
The Bucks are still missing a few players as Bobby Portis is still out while Joe Ingles and Brook Lopez are both questionable. The Lakers have again listed LeBron James as questionable and they are keeping an eye on Anthony Davis who is day to day. The Bucks have been the hottest team in the league with 10 wins in their last 11 outings and you just know Antetokounmpo would love to beat the Lakers, especially with all the extra attention LeBron has been getting lately. The Lakers are struggling a bit and they will be low on troops with Russell Westbrook traded away, so I’ll take the Bucks to get the win and cover in this spot behind a big game from Antetokounmpo.
