Milwaukee Has to Keep Edge
The San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks are on opposite spectrums of the standings. San Antonio Spurs have the third-worst record in the league, while the Bucks have the best NBA odds on BetUS.
The Spurs lost to the New Orleans Pelicans on the first of a back-to-back 119-84, featuring a lineup made around bench players. In the Bucks’ previous game, they outscored the Toronto Raptors 29-16 in the fourth quarter to win 118-111 on Sunday.
Spurs Surprising Wins
So far, it is no surprise that the Spurs have been bad. They are officially in a rebuild, breaking their franchise record for the longest losing streak this season. However, it is surprising that out of the Spurs‘ 19 wins, five have come in the last 11 games. They headlined NBA news by coming back from being down 24 points at halftime to beat the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
The Spurs’ rebuild is looking good. 🧲 pic.twitter.com/icIP0mrUeI
— theScore (@theScore) March 19, 2023
The cornerstones of the rebuild, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, showed a glimpse into the future, each scoring 29 points. When healthy, the two have the talent to be high-level NBA scorers with defensive versatility.
On the other hand, this increase in quality of play should not affect NBA picks. The Spurs are benefiting from their opponents, underestimating them. Furthermore, San Antonio has made it clear that its goal is development.
The Spurs must maintain one of the worst three records to keep the best odds at getting the No.1 pick in the upcoming draft. Both Johnson and Vassell sat out against the Pelicans, featuring a lineup with little hope of winning.
Bucks Can’t Let Up
Finding any flaws in this Bucks team at the moment is getting hard. They are officially the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference, playing like the team with the best NBA title odds. Moreover, they are primed for another deep playoff run, with Khris Middleton being integrated back into the starting lineup after dealing with injuries.
However, the team’s last two games have been a little concerning. First, they lost to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, 139-123. Overall the Bucks did not play poorly, still putting up solid offensive numbers, and the stars were doing enough. But defensively, especially in the second half, Milwaukee struggled, allowing 84 points to a team outside the play-in.
Then, against the Raptors, the Bucks kept the game close but needed a big fourth quarter to win. Before that final quarter, the Bucks had given up 95 points. The team struggled defensively in both games, a sign that they could be possibly relaxing a little. Defense is the Bucks‘ strength, and it shifted back into gear in the fourth quarter against the Raptors.
They only have a two-game lead over second place in the East, and keeping the No.1 seed could be crucial in the playoffs.
Spurs vs Bucks Game Injuries
Spurs vs Bucks Head-to-Head
The Spurs beat the Bucks in their first game this season 111-93 on Nov. 11. The Bucks were missing key players, and the Spurs started the season well. These teams have split their two games for the last four seasons, with the home team winning each time.
Spurs vs Bucks Game Information
- Game: Spurs (19-53) vs Bucks (51-20)
- Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
- Day/Time: Wednesday, March 22, 8:00 p.m. EST
- Spurs vs Bucks Live stream: NBA Game Pass
Spurs vs Bucks Betting Lines
Spurs vs Bucks Picks and Prediction
The NBA lines are rightfully trending in the Bucks’ direction. They have the better record by a large margin. But the question is will they be able to cover such a large spread which has been an issue in the last two games?
If the Spurs are healthy, their recent track record showed they could at least bother teams, but if not, the Bucks should face little to no issues. Still, with a spread set at 17½ points, that might be hard to cover for a Bucks team taking it “easy” unless the Spurs play another backup lineup.
The Bucks are listed at -2100 in our Vegas NBA lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Bucks, you have a chance to win $5. Spurs are +1050, offering a chance to win $1050 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Bucks a 95.45% chance to win, with Spurs at 8.70%.
Spurs vs Bucks Trends
Spurs vs Bucks Edge
Spurs vs Bucks Results
Spurs vs Bucks Game Summary
