The Milwaukee Bucks (34-21) drop by Crypto.com Arena Tuesday to play the Los Angeles Lakers (26-28) at 10 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Bucks vs. Lakers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Milwaukee won its third consecutive game Sunday by clobbering the Clippers 137-113 in L.A. as a 5.5-point road favorite. The Bucks are 4-2 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) over the past two weeks.
L.A. has alternated between winning and losing over its last four games with its most recent being a 122-115 comeback overtime victory versus the New York Knicks at home as a 5-point favorite. The Lakers are 3-4 SU but 5-2 ATS in the last 14 days.
The Bucks beat the Lakers 109-102 in Milwaukee Nov. 17 but failed to cover as 9-point home favorites.
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Bucks at Lakers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:07 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Bucks -170 (bet $170 to win $100) | Lakers +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread: Bucks -3.5 (-115) | Lakers +3.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 231.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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Bucks at Lakers key injuries
Bucks
- SG Grayson Allen (hip) probable
Lakers
- SF LeBron James (knee) probable
- PF Anthony Davis (wrist) probable
- SF Carmelo Anthony (hamstring) out
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Bucks at Lakers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Bucks 118, Lakers 111
Money line
“LEAN” to the BUCKS (-170) for a one-third unit, if at all, because I’d prefer getting down on Milwaukee outright than sweating the spread. More importantly, Milwaukee’s first-half spread is my favorite wager in this game.
However, the Bucks are nearly at full strength while the Lakers have been very inconsistent and injury-prone.
Milwaukee is plus-6.4 in adjusted net rating (ranked eighth) and L.A. is minus-0.8 in adjusted net rating (ranked 20th) over the last two weeks, according to CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG).
The Bucks are also 13-6 SU as a road favorite (plus-7.8 margin of victory) and the Lakers are 2-2 SU as a home underdog (minus-6.8 margin of victory).
Against the spread
BET the BUCKS -1.5 (-110) FIRST-HALF SPREAD for 1.25 units because Milwaukee has been extremely profitable in the first half this season while L.A. has cost backers several units.
The Bucks have the third-best return on investment (ROI) in the first half (33-22 ATS) and the Lakers have the second-worst ROI in the first half (21-31-2 ATS) according to EVAnalytics.com.
Milwaukee has covered its first-half spread for three straight games and has a plus-12.7 first-half scoring margin over that span. Whereas L.A. is 0-3 ATS in their last three first halves with a minus-6.7 first-half scoring margin.
This also kind of fits how the Lakers, and mainly LeBron, play. LeBron is known to make in-game adjustments based on how his opponent is playing so I could see L.A. using the first half to figure things out.
I “lean” towards Milwaukee laying the points for the full game but the BUCKS -1.5 (-110) FIRST-HALF SPREAD is my favorite bet in this game.
Over/Under
PASS.
Both teams play at a top-10 pace and each is 4-1 O/U in their last five games. However, the Under has cashed in six straight Bucks-Lakers meetings and I just don’t have a strong enough grasp on this total.
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