The 27-37 Bucks will be hosting the 37-27 Suns tonight, tipping off at 8 PM EST. The Bucks will be without Kevin Porter Jr., and have listed Bobby Portis, Taurean Prince, and Jericho Sims as Questionable. The Suns will be without Mark Williams and Dillon Brooks. They’ve listed Grayson Allen and Jordan Goodwin as Questionable.
The Suns are 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 242.5 points.
Bucks vs. Suns prediction, preview
Phoenix has been quietly having a solid season, with a 114.8 OFFRTG and 113.7 DEFRTG. They put up 41 threes a game, which is fifth in the league. They’re hitting 36% of these, but recently, they’ve been a bit choppy in this department, sitting at 109.9 OFFRTG in their last ten games. Despite being a bit cold offensively, Phoenix is still happiest when they can find structure in their half court offense, led by Devin Booker. Losing Dillon Brooks for 4-6 weeks has drastically weakened their defense, however, and they will likely slide a bit until they can get him back, hopefully in time for the postseason. They’ll also be without Mark Williams for a little bit, leaving those center minutes up for Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach. The Suns are 5-5 in their last ten games and will look to squeeze out a win against the Bucks tonight, a tough task considering Giannis Antetokounmpo has returned to the fray. If they’re also without Grayson Allen, it’ll be even tougher, as Allen is responsible for 9.6 of their three point attempts per night, of which he’s cashing 35.5%.
Milwaukee’s roster is talented, there’s no denying it. But it hurts that Giannis Antetokounmpo has only played 33 games this season and has battled injury. Giannis’ absences this year have resulted in the Bucks’ 24th OFFRTG and 24th DEFRTG, which are lousy marks on both sides of the ball. Another factor in the Bucks’ disappointing season despite a few bright spots in Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. has been the underwhelming level of Myles Turner, who is making the second most money on this team but has regressed in nearly all statistical categories since last season, posting 12.2 PPG, which is his lowest in seven seasons. His blocks are also at 1.6, which is the lowest mark since his rookie season in 2015-16. In addition to his defense being subpar, he’s also shooting 43.9% from the field, which is the lowest mark of his career. The Bucks will have to figure out a way to stay afloat in their non-Giannis minutes if they want any shot of even competing for a playoff spot, let alone winning a playoff game.
Bucks vs. Suns pick, best bet
Best Bet: Milwaukee Bucks +1.5 (-115)
The Bucks are stronger than they look with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the mix, and the Suns will be without Mark Williams, who is one of their best chances of getting any stops in the paint against a beast like Antetokounmpo. I’m expecting the Bucks to pull off the upset here, as Giannis is still getting back into rhythm. He’s averaging 23.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 4.7 APG on 55.3% shooting from the field and 26 MPG since he returned.
