In what has been a strangely up-and-down season for the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been one constant. The two-time MVP is having perhaps his best season yet, but he’s destined to finish third in a two-man race for the NBA’s premier individual honor.
All in all, Antetokounmpo’s brilliance has propelled the Bucks to a 24-17, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, although Milwaukee is still three games behind the New York Knicks in a highly-stratified top half of the East. The Greek Freak has basically eliminated the balky three-ball from his game and has instead turned into a midrange ace, averaging 31.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists while shooting 60.5% from the field, the second-best efficiency of his career.
Tonight, the Bucks will host the reeling Miami Heat, who recently suspended Jimmy Butler for the second time and are desperately working to trade the disgruntled star. Originally slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET, it will instead tip off at 8:30 p.m. after Milwaukee was severely delayed escaping a historic snowstorm in New Orleans that canceled its clash against the Pelicans last night.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Bucks are 6.5-point favorites, with the point total is set to 226. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around the Greek Freak.
Best Giannis Antetokounmpo Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Giannis Antetokounmpo 15+ Rebounds (+185)
The vaunted Heat Culture has taken a dagger to the heart this season, with Butler’s millionth trade request shattering what had seemed to be a perfect fit between organization and player. Since the team hit Butler with a seven-game suspension, the Heat are 4-6, losing four of the seven games that he missed, including an embarrassing blowout to the worst team in the West, the Utah Jazz. In that span, Miami got absolutely killed on the glass, giving up 20 boards to Ivica Zubac, 18 to Domantas Sabonis, 31 to Walker Kessler in two games, and 10 to Toumani Camara. With those kinds of numbers, it’s no surprise that the Heat have given up the third-most boards over the last 10 games and the fifth-most overall. Bad rebounding can be a symptom of bad effort, and Miami just looks lethargic out there.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee is one of the hotter teams in basketball, having won seven of its last 10 games and posting the league’s fifth-best net rating across that span. Across that stretch, Antetokounmpo has posted two 15-rebound performances and averaged 12.9 boards per game across the span. Overall, the Greek Freak ranks sixth in rebounds per game and 10th in rebounding percentage among all players who have played at least 35 games and 20 minutes per game. Antetokounmpo did not play in the teams’ first matchup this season, but he has grabbed 15 or more rebounds three times in his last 10 games against the Heat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo 1st Points Scorer (+285)
Given that Bucks center Brook Lopez is four inches taller than Miami center Bam Adebayo, Milwaukee is likely to win the tip, which should give it the first possession and give the Bucks the first chance at scoring.
Unsurprisingly, the Greek Freak leads the team in first quarter usage rate, as 33.0% of the team’s first-quarter possessions end in a field goal attempt, drawn foul, or turnover by Antetokounmpo. He also accounts for 36.6% of the team’s first-quarter made field goals and 34.7% of its first-quarter points. In the last 10 games, Lopez has won the opening tip six times, and Antetokounmpo has accounted for the first points twice, each of them coming in the last four games. He also attempted the game’s first field goal against the Orlando Magic on January 10, but missed a hook shot.
