Update: James was officially ruled out earlier in the day. Davis, Antetokounmpo and Middleton are all officially in. The Bucks are 9.5-point favorites and the total is 233.5. I still like Los Angeles as the ATS pick and the over on the total.
The Los Angeles Lakers (39-32) are hoping to jump out of the second play-in game with a run late in the season, and they’ll look to keep their winning ways going when they meet the Milwaukee Bucks (46-25). The Lakers have won three in a row, while the Bucks have triumphed in two straight. This is the second meeting between these sides, with the Lakers winning a thriller in the first matchup 123-122 despite missing LeBron James.
James is considered doubtful for this matchup, while Anthony Davis is probable. D’Angelo Russell missed the last game with an illness but is off the injury report. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are considered probable for Milwaukee with MarJon Beauchamp listed as questionable.
The Bucks are 9-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 231.5. Milwaukee is -395 on the moneyline while Los Angeles is +310.
Lakers vs. Bucks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Lakers +9
The Lakers are 33-39 ATS on the season while the Bucks are 32-38-1, so neither team is particular strong against the number. Los Angeles is 11-10 ATS as a road underdog and 16-15 ATS as an underdog overall. Milwaukee is 27-31-1 ATS as a favorite and 15-16-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Even though the Bucks are 29-7 straight up at home, the Lakers have already taken out this team without James once this season. With Davis and Russell in the lineup, I like the road team to cover as the underdog at a decently high spread for a regular season game.
Over/Under: Over 231.5
As a home team, the Bucks are 20-15 to the over. The Lakers are 20-12 to the over as the road team, largely because their defense being so much better at home. The last matchup between these teams went well over this number, so I’ll stick with the over hitting in this one.
