NBA: Denver Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Denver Nuggets have no time for rest as they quickly head for Milwaukee following their match in Chicago. Jokic and the boys are on tour through the East, and have arguably the toughest possible task coming up next – defeating the MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his Bucks at Fiser Forum. Milwaukee is in excellent shape and is slowly heating up for the second part of the season. The team from Wisconsin looked pretty strong over the previous several matches, with Giannis leading the way.

Preview

Denver Nuggets (19-15, +230) have started their tour very well, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 126-96 and the Chicago Bulls, 118-112. The latter match took place last night at the United Center, with the Nuggets surviving a tough finish.

They would have a 15-point lead in the second and a double-digit difference in the third period but allowed the Bulls to come back in the final 12 minutes, complicating their situation a lot.

Luckily, Denver had Nikola Jokic, who scored 39 points, 14 boards, and 9 assists, who made 17 of his 28 shots, harassing the rivals throughout the entire event. However, in the crucial moments of the match, Jokic stepped up to take the responsibility, scoring 17 buckets in the last quarter. Jamal Murray helped him a lot with 24 points, while Porter Jr. had 17 with 15 boards.

Milwaukee Bucks (21-13, -270) won five in a row and is looking excellent. The latest victory was against LA Clippers, who had both Kawhi and Paul George in the team. The final result was 105-100 for the Bucks, with Giannis having a spree in the ultimate few minutes, scoring almost all the hosts’ points.

He ended up with 36 buckets and 14 rebounds, adding five steals and four blocks. Khris Middleton was behind with 19 points, 8 dimes, and six boards.

During their victorious stretch, the Bucks have defeated the Thunder, Kings, Timberwolves, and the Pelicans all at home. Giannis had 29 or more points in all of them, with the note that he went 38, 37, 38, 36 in the past four.

Head to Head Games

The Bucks didn’t have too many troubles in the first match this year, as they dismantled the Nuggets in Denver, 125-112. The guests were much better in the second half, which is when they secured the win. Giannis scored 30 points and nine rebounds, while Jokic led in all the categories in his team, 35 points, 12 rebounds, and six rebounds.

Khris Middleton was the X-factor here with 29 points and 12 assists.

Prediction

Denver is not consistent at all, but even if the Nuggets were, we would most definitely go with the Bucks’ victory here. It seems that Mike Budenholzer’s unit found their rhythm, especially in offense and that they score points easily when needed.

One more factor for betting on Milwaukee’s success here is Denver’s fatigue. Instead of resting in the final few minutes last night, the Nuggets had to keep their entire starting lineup on the floor, which undoubtedly shortened their energy bar.

The spread on the Bucks is -6.5, and we believe that they have the quality to cover that. If Mike Malone sees that there is no point in resisting the hosts, he will pull out the vital players, making things even easier for Milwaukee.