The Oklahoma City Thunder will play their last game of the regular season in enemy territory, as they pay Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks a visit this Tuesday for a rematch. Will the Thunder double-up against Milwaukee? Or will the Bucks avenge their loss in the first meeting with Oklahoma City this season? The Thunder and the Bucks are priced +4,000 and +650 to win the NBA title, respectively.
Paul George was in the thick of MVP conversation the last time the Thunder faced off with Milwaukee. George dropped 36 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, and added three assists and three steals in 38 minutes of a 118-112 win over the Bucks last January. Russell Westbrook had a typical Russell Westbrook in that game, posting a triple-double line of 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, but he was severely inefficient on offense, going 5-for-20 shooting from the field. Most guards in the NBA find it hard to get past the Bucks’ defense, as Milwaukee has plenty of long and versatile players that covers big spaces and they do it fast, but Westbrook is such a force that he’ll get his numbers anyway. If Westbrook could be more efficient with this shot and the Thunder control the board like they did in the first meeting with Milwaukee, they will be in fine form to defeat the Bucks again.
The Thunder, who are second in the league with 57.2 rebounds per game, are 5-2-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last eight games in Milwaukee.
Betting on the Milwaukee Bucks (60-21)
The Bucks want to close out the regular season strong just before they focus their attention entirely on the playoffs. They are coming off a 115-107 win at home over the Trae Young-less Atlanta Hawks last Sunday, with Giannis Antetokounmpo continuing his dominance. The Greek Freak poured in 30 points and had nine rebounds in just 25 minutes of action. Khris Middleton, meanwhile, had 21 points. It should be noted that Antetokounmpo was questionable to play prior to the Atlanta game due to a left calf issue, but managed to take the floor. However, the Bucks may opt to rest Antetokounmpo for their regular-season finale. If that will be the case, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova should get nice upticks in their minutes, while Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton will have most of the burden on offense, assuming they will not be rested too by Milwaukee. Bledsoe had 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the January meeting with Oklahoma City.
The Bucks are averaging 127.4 points over their last five games. They are also 4-2-1 ATS in their last seven home games.
