If the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks somehow end up meeting in the playoffs — which, at this point, would have to be in the conference finals, given that they’re locked into the fifth and sixth seeds in some combination — they’ll be sick of each other. Tonight, Detroit will host Milwaukee in the teams’ penultimate game of the regular season before it concludes with a matchup in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon.
As the Bucks prepare for what will likely be a first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, it’ll be worth noting whether they rest Giannis Antetokounmpo in the season finale if they win tonight. As for tonight, Antetokounmpo will play, and probably play well: he’s averaged 31.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game since point guard Damian Lillard suffered what could be a season-ending blood clot in his calf.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Milwaukee (+185 Moneyline) is a moderate underdog and the total is set for 231.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around the two-time MVP.
Best Giannis Antetokounmpo Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Giannis Antetokounmpo 30+ Points (+100)
30-plus-point performances are both the norm and the expectation for a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber, even against a team that has allowed the 12th-fewest points per game since the All-Star break like the Pistons have. He has recorded 30 or more points in 39 of his 66 games this season, more than any player except presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and since Lillard went down, he has reached that mark in seven of his 10 appearances. He only scored 28 last night, but it came in just 25 minutes in a blowout win over a New Orleans Pelicans team missing just about everyone. His 59-point performance against Detroit on November 13 remains his highest-scoring outing of the season.
Of course, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson hadn’t yet returned from the blood clot that cut his rookie season short in 2023-24. But some of the issues that dogged that Detroit team — including defensive inconsistency from center Jalen Duren — remain. While Duren ranks a solid 15th in defensive box plus-minus this season, other advanced metrics aren’t so kind; opponents shoot only 1.4 percentage points worse than usual within six feet of the basket with Duren as the nearest defender, the 12th-worst among 29 players (fifth-worst among centers) who have played at least 65 games and defend at least five such shots per game. Antetokounmpo leads the league in both points in the paint and dunks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo 8+ Assists (-110)
Prior to Lillard’s injury, Antetokounmpo averaged 6.0 assists per game, a number that has increased to 8.0 since the Bucks’ point guard went down. His touches, too, increased from 82.6 to 88.6, his time of possession from 5.5 minutes per game to 6.5, and his potential assists from 10.5 per game to 13.3. Antetokounmpo’s teammates have all been more efficient, too; Brook Lopez’ effective field goal percentage increased from 59.0% with Lillard as the primary initiator to 65.2% since, and Kyle Kuzma’s mark has gone from 48.5% in his first 19 games with Milwaukee to 53.3% since. Bobby Portis is back from his 25-game PED suspension, and in his return, Antetokounmpo dished out 10 dimes, including one to Portis. Detroit has allowed the second-fewest assists in the league since the All-Star break — mostly due to Thompson’s disruptive athleticism — but I ultimately trust Antetokounmpo to step up and clinch his team the fifth seed as both a scorer and passer.
