Who will decide the top game in their favour?
The top game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors will take place on Wednesday at the Fiserv Forum. The hosts go into this game with a defeat behind them, while the visitors were able to pick up a clear victory against the Boston Celtics. It is therefore somewhat surprising that between the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors the betting odds tend to point to a home win. This is probably due to the fact that the home side are currently at 19-7 wins.
Golden State’s win over the Boston Celtics may have loosened the knot, however. The Warriors are also the reigning champions for a reason and have not suffered any serious losses in the squad since then. The starting five is as well-rehearsed as few teams and therefore we find the odds on an away win between the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors much more interesting.
Milwaukee will have the advantage especially in the aerial battle, as the Bucks have a real rebounding machine in Giannis. He may be two inches shorter than Brook Lopez, but he’s also much more athletic and the clear number one rebounder. In addition, the GSW only have Kuminga, who can keep up with them in terms of size. For this reason, between the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors, we recommend betting on over 11.5 rebounds from the Greek Freak.
Milwaukee Bucks – Statistics & current form
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference and have nineteen wins so far. In the night from Sunday to Monday the Bucks lost with 92:97 against the Houston Rockets. It was only their seventh loss of the season and it came as a surprise. In the entire NBA, there is only one team with more games won – that is the Boston Celtics. That’s why coach Mike Budenholzer’s team is one of the title favourites this year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
The MVP of 2019 and 2020 made one of his weakest games of the current season against Houston. He scored just 16 points, well below his average of 31.1 points per game. He is the mainstay on the offensive end, as Milwaukee is missing another good scorer besides Jrue Holiday. Nevertheless, Giannis excelled in the aerial battle, grabbing an outstanding 18 rebounds at 2.11 metres. He’ll have to deliver in the game against the Golden State Warriors, otherwise the Bucks don’t stand a chance.
Pros & Cons
Milwaukee thrives on their defence despite a Giannis Antetokounmpo. On average, the Bucks allow just 107.5 points per game, making them the second-best defence in the NBA. This is partly due to their good play in the air, as only one team grabs more rebounds than Mike Budenholzer’s team. Their weak point is rather their offence, as the team averages only 112.0 PPG. In this category, it is only good enough for seventeenth place.
Injured List:
Joe Ingles – Out
Jrue Holiday – Game Time Decision
Khris Middleton – Game Time Decision
Starting Five of the Milwaukee Bucks:
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo – PG: Jrue Holiday – F: Bobby Portis – SG: Grayson Allen – C: Brook Lopez
Golden State Warriors – Statistics & current form
The Golden State Warriors are in eighth place in the Western Conference before this game. So far, the season is not really satisfying, as the winner of the NBA playoffs from the previous season lost almost half of all games. Nevertheless, GSW remains one of the favourites for the title, because with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green, Steve Kerr’s team has a lot of quality in its squad. Wiggins is still questionable for the game against Milwaukee.
Steph Curry
Golden State also has a former MVP (2015,2016) on the squad and that is Steph Curry. He is the player who revolutionised basketball as he took the game from the inside court to the outside court with his three-point shots. It is therefore not surprising that the point guard is the best shooter from distance with 5.1 threes per game. There are more than a few who even consider him the best basketball player in history.
Pros & Cons
The Warriors field one of the league’s best offenses, averaging 117.6 points per game. This ranks the team fourth in league-wide scoring. The flip side of the coin is clearly the defence, as Golden State allows an average of 116.1 points from their opponents, ranking them 23rd. This is also reflected in the rebounds, as sixteen teams are better than Steve Kerr’s team in this category as well.
Injured List:
Andre Iguadola – Out
Andrew Wiggins – Out
Draymond Green – Game Time Decision
Starting Five of the Golden State Warriors:
PF: Drayton Green – PG: Steph Curry – SG: Klay Thompson – SG: Jordan Poole – PF: Jonathan Kuminga
Milwaukee Bucks – Golden State Warriors Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The head-to-head comparison between these two teams goes to the Milwaukee Bucks. The team from Wisconsin could win 34 of the 63 games and also won the last duel in their own stadium. The most recent win between the two top teams, however, came against the Golden State Warriors 122-109 in March this year. Currently, a slight trend can be seen. In the past four meetings, the home team has always won – a good omen for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Bucks – Golden State Warriors Tip
Looking at the odds before the clash between the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors, the host seems to be the favourite. But the recent results speak more in favour of the reigning champions. Especially on the offensive end, Milwaukee is too dependent on Giannis Antetokounmpo and even if he has a good game, as expected, it will be difficult for the Bucks. Golden State, on the other hand, is much more flexible and thus difficult to defend even for Milwaukee’s good defense.
We therefore recommend betting on a handicap win of +6.5 for the visitors between the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors.
