The 30-15 Nuggets will be visiting the 18-25 Bucks tonight at 9:30 PM EST. The Nuggets have been holding it down without superstar center Nikola Jokic. 23 year old Peyton Watson has seriously stepped up to the plate, as evidenced by his monstrous 35 points and eight rebounds alongside two steals and four blocks last night. He’s played well enough in his role to warrant a starting spot when the Nuggets get fully healthy.
Things are tumultuous in the Bucks’ locker room with rumors of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in doubt. Let’s dive right into tonight’s game.
The Bucks are currently -200 Moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the point total set to 216.5. Below, I’ll break down tonight’s matchup and offer my prediction.
Denver Nuggets at Milwaukee Bucks preview, prediction
It’s not like the Nuggets are seriously hurting. If anything, it’s quite promising that Denver has managed to hold onto the third seed even without Nikola Jokic, thanks largely in part to the aforementioned Watson’s outstanding play in addition to Jamal Murray’s All-Star level production this season. Murray Murray is slashing 49/49/89 shooting splits this season, en route to 26 PPG and 7.3 APG. He’s averaging career-highs in PPG, APG, FT%, FTA, 3P%, 3PM, 3PA, FG%, and FGA this season. Murray is blossoming into prime form at age 29 at an excellent time, coinciding with Nikola Jokic’s peak – however many years that’s been the case – as the Nuggets seek another championship. The Nuggets have been missing Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun for extended stretches of the season as well, so the fact that they’re in an excellent spot in the Western Conference speaks volumes about their outlook heading into the postseason, as long as they can remain healthy.
The Milwaukee Bucks are trending in the complete opposite direction. They still have the talents of Antetokounmpo on deck, however fleeting his future may seem. Giannis is still Giannis, pouring in 28.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 5.6 APG on the season and should easily have an All-Star spot locked up in the East. The issue is the Bucks’ roster, despite Ryan Rollins’ ascension into an excellent starting point guard as Damian Lillard’s replacement. He’s nowhere near the offensive force that Dame was, but this roster is severely lacking. Myles Turner has largely underwhelmed on this team, seeing declines in PPG, BPG, SPG, RPG, FT%, FTA, 3P%, 3PM, and FG% from last season. In fact, he’s shooting just 42.1% from the floor despite being a 49.5% shooter over the course of his ten-year career.
It’s surprising that the Bucks are still favored by -200 tonight. Their record is subpar, their team cohesion is at an all-time low, and they have underperformers across various positions. They’ve gone just 4-6 in their last ten games and are projected to continue their path of mediocrity.
Nuggets at Bucks pick, best bet
Best bet: Denver Nuggets Moneyline +200
I’m bullish on the Nuggets pulling out the win tonight, and believe that this +200 line provides tremendous value given the state of the Bucks at the moment. As uncertainty continues to swirl around the Bucks’ future, I’m looking at the Nuggets to capitalize on tonight’s opportunity to steal a win on the Bucks’ home court despite playing on the second end of a back-to-back set.
