Milwaukee Bucks (37-17) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (25-30)
The 2022-23 NBA betting action continues Thursday, February 9, with the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in the cross-conference battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Bucks open as 3.5-point road favorites, while the totals sit at 239.0 points.
Milwaukee and Los Angeles wrap up their two-game regular-season series, and Purple-and-Gold hope to sweep the Bucks for the first time since 2009-10. The Lakers should come in at full strength, though LeBron James is battling with an ankle injury, whereas the Bucks miss Bobby Portis due to a knee injury.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been unstoppable as of late. Last Monday, they improved to 37-17 SU and 29-22-3 ATS on the season, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 127-108 as 4.5-point road favorites. The Bucks led wire-to-wire and made 54.0% of their field goals while holding the Trail Blazers to 40.7% shooting from the field (9-for-36 from deep). Also, the Bucks allowed just one offensive rebound to Portland, outrebounding the Blazers 55-28 on the night.
Brook Lopez had a great game at Moda Center in Portland. He notched 27 points and nine rebounds, going 9-for-12 from the field and 7-for-9 from the foul line. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, 13 boards, and eight assists, while Jrue Holiday accounted for 20 points and eight assists.
“I have a long way to still go , a long time to still play. I’m just enjoying it and I want to keep getting better, keep being an effective player out there, being the best player I could be,” said Lopez, who is in his 14th season. “I’m lucky that there are people that are out there trying to help me, trying to make me better and put me in that position.”
Highlights from last night's WIN vs. Blazers.
?? @we_energies ?? pic.twitter.com/U2g7AgO4zp
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 7, 2023
The Bucks continue to lean on their defense. They rank third in the league in defensive rating (110.7 points per 100 possessions), opposing 2-point percentage (51.4%), and opposing 3-point percentage (34.6%). On the other side of the ball, the Bucks are 21st in the NBA in offensive rating (113.4), 14th in 2-point percentage (54.5%), and 16th in 3-point percentage. Milwaukee makes 14.2 triples per game (5th).
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