The Milwaukee Bucks (11-7) stop by the Spectrum Center Saturday for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off with the Charlotte Hornets (8-11). Below, we analyze the Bucks-Hornets NBA odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The Bucks were upset 131-126 on the road by the New Orleans Pelicans last night as 6.5-point favorites. Milwaukee has looked bad on national TV with its last three losses being in primetime games against the Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers (Jan. 21) and Brooklyn Nets (Jan. 18).
Charlotte also played Friday, but the Hornets came out on the winning end against the Indiana Pacers to split their two-game miniseries. The Hornets are hoping last night’s win is a step in the right direction because Charlotte has won just two of its last eight games.
Milwaukee has won five straight vs. Charlotte but have only covered two of those games – mostly because they have been favored at least 11 points in all of those matchups.
Bucks at Hornets: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:40 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Bucks -375 (bet $375 to win $100) | Hornets +300 (bet $100 to win $300)
- Against the spread/ATS: Bucks -8.5 (-110) | Hornets +8.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 230.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Bucks at Hornets: Key injuries
Bucks
- None affecting the betting odds.
Hornets
- None affecting the betting odds.
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Bucks at Hornets: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Bucks 122, Hornets 107
Money line (ML)
PASS. Betting NBA regular-season money line favorites of -150 or greater is a bad long-term strategy.
Against the spread (ATS)
The Bucks hoist the sixth-most threes per game and are connecting at the fourth-highest rate while the Hornets are 27th in opponent’s 3-point attempts per game.
Also, Charlotte has the lowest defensive rebound percentage in the Association, which could be major trouble against the Bucks, who have the seventh-highest offensive rebounding percentage.
Milwaukee’s defense has dipped since last season because the Bucks have the third-worst 3-point defense, but the Bucks are still second in both opponent’s fast break points and opponent’s points in the paint per game.
Hornets SF Gordon Hayward is having an impressive first season in Charlotte, but he’s going to be responsible for Bucks SF Khris Middleton who’s an under-the-radar All-NBA second team guy.
Middleton is sixth in win shares and 20th in offensive rating in the Association and leads the Bucks in each of those categories. If Hayward doesn’t use bandwidth to check Middleton then he could wreak havoc on Charlotte’s defense.
Finally, in the last five Bucks-Hornets games, Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored at least 26 points in each, shot better than 60% from the field four times and had at least 13 rebounds in four of those meetings.
I lean BUCKS -8.5 (-110) for a half-unit.
Over/Under (O/U)
The market has steamed this total up from the 228-point opener with more than 90% betting the Over, according to pregame.com. While it’s still early and those percentages will even out a bit, it’s a good indication of how the public feels about this game.
The reasons why I’m on UNDER 230.5 (-110) are because Milwaukee’s defense got embarrassed last night, and Charlotte’s offense is too inconsistent. The Hornets got hot last night from three vs. the Pacers for a stretch but only ended up at 108 points. Milwaukee will be motivated to shut down Charlotte after getting rolled by the Pelicans Friday.
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Also see:
- James Borrego says Hornets are at their best when LaMelo Ball thrives (Lonzo Wire)
- Hoops Hype rumors: Bucks | Hornets
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