Led by back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks (42-24) are the No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference, with a relatively limited injury report. The Houston Rockets (16-50), who are scheduled to play at Milwaukee on Friday, have the NBA’s worst record — and only four players of their 17-man roster are confirmed to be available.
Of those four, three are rookies (KJ Martin, Armoni Brooks, and Anthony Lamb), and the fourth (DaQuan Jeffries) was signed less than a month ago. Houston has already listed eight players as out on its historic injury list, and they likely need at least some of the five listed as doubtful (Danuel House Jr.) or questionable (Christian Wood, Kelly Olynyk, Jae’Sean Tate, DJ Augustin) to play in order to avoid a postponement.
As such, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are understandably a massive home favorite against whatever is left of the Rockets.
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The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
- Point spread: Bucks -16.5
- Money line: Bucks -1600 / Rockets +900
- Over-under: 231.5
- Player scoring props: TBD
Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.
The Bucks are likely to have their usual starters of Jrue Holiday, Donte DiVincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez. For Houston, it’s difficult to even guess at this juncture.
For a game to proceed, NBA teams must have at least eight players dressed out and technically available to play. However, a team can choose not to play certain “active” players, if needed or desired. For example, on Wednesday, the Rockets met the eight-man requirement by having Augustin — who was listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain — on the active list. However, he did not ultimately play.
Once Kevin Porter Jr. went out with an ankle sprain, Houston used only six players (Brooks, Jeffries, Lamb, Martin, Kelly Olynyk, and Avery Bradley) for the game’s duration. Now, of that grouping, Bradley is out for personal reasons and Olynyk is questionable with right ankle soreness.
Of the four Rockets players not on the injury report, none have more than two seasons of NBA experience. One is in his sophomore season (DaQuan Jeffries). Three are rookies (KJ Martin, Anthony Lamb and Armoni Brooks). Two are on two-way contracts (Lamb and Brooks). https://t.co/3J8XGr4kDn
— Danielle Lerner (@danielle_lerner) May 6, 2021
Christian Wood and Jae’Sean Tate, who each missed Wednesday’s game, were upgraded to questionable for Friday. The Rockets are also poised to sign young guard Khyri Thomas to a 10-day contract, but it’s not yet clear if he will be available in Milwaukee — since the NBA has strict entry protocols this season for new players due to COVID-19 testing rules.
As of early Friday, the deal with Thomas was not yet official, and thus the team had yet to comment on whether he might be an option.
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Advice and prediction
Friday’s game isn’t yet a lock to go forward — since at the moment, Houston isn’t even assured of having enough active bodies to fill out a five-man starting lineup. In addition, the Rockets likely need to be cautious with bringing back any injured players, since they’re on a road back-to-back. Houston is scheduled to play at Utah on Saturday.
If the Rockets can avoid a postponement, it’s tough to see a path for them to be competitive in Milwaukee, given the circumstances. In addition, the Bucks are unlikely to overlook the Rockets, given their unexpected loss to Houston just eight days ago. This is their shot for revenge. The under also looks to be a worthwhile bet, since it’s hard to see where any scoring punch for the Rockets would come from.
Prediction: Bucks 120, Rockets 98
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