The final weekend of the NBA’s regular season will tip off with a huge showdown as the Milwaukee Bucks hit the road to meet the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on NBA TV.
Milwaukee (49-31) has won two straight games and is clinging onto the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with dear life. The Bucks can officially clinch the spot with either a win here or losses by both the Knicks and the Cavaliers tonight. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City (55-25) has won three straight games and sits one game behind Denver for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder will be eliminated from one-seed contention with a loss + a Nuggets win this evening, and would also eliminated from two-seed contention in this scenario if the Timberwolves were to also win tonight.
On the injury front, Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) remains out for the Bucks as he tries to rest and rehab for a possible return in the first-round of the playoffs. Damian Lillard (left adductor) will also be out while Khris Middleton (ankle), Brooks Lopez (rest), and Bobby Portis (rest) are all available. For the Thunder, Josh Giddey (hip) is questionable.
Oklahoma City enters the game as a heavy 14-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, accompanied by a total of 223.5. The Thunder are a -950 moneyline favorite, making the Bucks a +625 underdog.
Bucks vs. Thunder, 8 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Thunder -14
Milwaukee has surprisingly been fine in games without Antetokounmpo this season. However, it has been dreadful without Lillard on the floor as the team is 1-7 when the star guard has been sidelined. The Bucks may simply be focused on getting everyone healthy for the playoffs and at this point, that may take priority over locking down the two-seed in the East.
Meanwhile, OKC is still in the hunt for the top seed in the West and is playing like a team determined to catch Denver. The Thunder are 25-14 against the spread at home this season and I’ll predict that they beat down a Bucks team without its stars and cover tonight.
Over/Under: Over 223.5
I envision a scenario where OKC builds a sizable enough lead to where it calls off the dogs and brings in its backups in the fourth quarter. That would allow Milwaukee’s role players to put enough points on the board to trigger the over late.