The Portland Trail Blazers (5-10) visit the Milwaukee Bucks (11-3) Thursday at Fiserv Forum. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. We analyze the Trail Blazers-Bucks odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
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Trail Blazers at Bucks: Key injuries
Trail Blazers
- PG Damian Lillard (back) out
- C Hassan Whiteside (hip) questionable
- C Zach Collins (shoulder) out
- C Jusuf Nurkic (leg) out
- SG Anfernee Simmons (ankle) questionable
Milwaukee
- SF Khris Middleton (thigh) out
Trail Blazers at Bucks: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Bucks 115, Blazers 100
Moneyline (ML)
The Bucks (-1000) enter as winners of five straight with the Trail Blazers (+625) dropping each of their last two. Milwaukee is 3-1 straight up at home and returns from a successful 3-0 road trip where it won each game by no fewer than eight points. Portland is 4-6 on the road (better than its 1-4 home record) but lost its last two games by a combined 35 points.
The Blazers had Wednesday off while the Bucks were taking care of the Atlanta Hawks (135-127). Even on the second half of a back-to-back, the Bucks won’t lose this game, but we’re not going to touch these odds.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Bucks to win outright returns a profit of $1.
Against the Spread (ATS)
The Blazers are 6-8 ATS overall, 5-5 ATS on the road. The Bucks are 7-7 overall and 2-2 at home. They are often favored by large amounts, but they cover by an average of two points. Portland falls an average of 3.5 points shy of the cover.
Milwaukee ranks first in the Eastern Conference and second in the NBA with an average point differential of plus-9.3, winning 119.6-110.3. Portland is outscored by 3.4 points on average with an average score of 115.3-111.9 in favor of the opposition.
Take the host BUCKS (-13.5, -106) with a $10 bet returning a profit of $9.43 should the hosts win by 14 or more.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the UNDER 226.5 (-106). The over is 9-6 in Blazers games, topping the projection by an average of 1.7 points per game. The Bucks are 7-6-1 in favor of the over, clearing the number by an average of 4.8 points. The injuries for Portland and the back-to-back situation for Milwaukee will temper the scoring.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Esten’s NBA betting record: 32-34
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