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The Milwaukee Bucks attempt to get things going again as they take on a rejuvenated Detroit Pistons squad on Monday at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
The Bucks have split their last 10 games and have won no more than two straight over that period. Milwaukee is coming off a Friday win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and they hope to win back to back games that would jumpstart a longer winning streak. The Pistons meanwhile are feeling good about themselves after snapping a free fall by defeating the mighty Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Giannis Roars Back
As Milwaukee has struggled for consistency the past couple of week, Giannis Antetokounmpo matched a season low with 12 points on 7 assists last Wednesday a the Bucks lost to the Pacers. On Friday, Giannis roared back by tying a career high 44 points against the hapless Cavaliers to dispel rumors that he may be slowing down.
Milwaukee is the league’s top scoring team at 118 points per game. The Bucks also rank 4th in assists at 26.3 dimes per contest and they are also the NBA’s top rebounding team at 50.4 board per evening. The Bucks also have the 11th best scoring defense in the league, giving up 109.0 points per game on the season
Milwaukee Bucks vs Detroit Pistons 12/17/18
Moneyline Odds: Bucks -160, Pistons +140
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/17/18
The Detroit Pistons were free falling with six straight losses before they finally came to life and beat the streaking Boston Celtics who had won eight games in a row. Blake Griffin pumped in 27 points to stop the Detroit losing streak while Andre Drummond was one point away from a 20-20 night as the Pistons played 48 minutes of solid basketball.
Detroit ranks 19th in the league in scoring at 109.1 points per game while the Pistons are 25th in assists at 21.8 dimes per contest. The Pistons are the 5th best rebounding team in the league at 47.5 boards per contest. They have the 13th best scoring defense in all of the NBA at 110.0 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
The Bucks and Pistons have played each other a total of 242 times during the regular season. The Bucks lead the all-time series 130-112 with Milwaukee winning six out of the last eight games between these teams including their first meeting of the current season. The Bucks beat the Pistons 115-92 on December 5th in Milwaukee.
If you wanted to think that maybe Giannis is slowing down after his 12 point output last Wednesday, well you were so wrong. Giannis put up 44 in his last outing and looks like he’s rejuvenated. Milwaukee’s main worries right now are getting Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon back. Both missed Friday’s game with a finger and hamstring injury, respectively and are listed as day to day.
The Bucks are the top scoring team in the league and if they play at full strength, they will be tough to beat. The Pistons got Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson back recently but they will still be without guard Ish Smith. But even on a full roster, the Bucks have more talent and are playing better basketball. I think the Bucks have too many scorers for the Pistons to cover.
We’re picking the Milwaukee Bucks to beat the Detroit Pistons on 12/17/18.
Other Bets To Make
Milwaukee is 15-12-1 ATS on the season and the Bucks are 5-7 ATS in a dozen road games played so far. Detroit is 14-13 ATS on their season and the Pistons are 7-9 ATS in 16 home games played. Head to head, Detroit is 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Detroit Pistons 12/17/18
Spread Odds: Bucks -3.5 (-110), Pistons +3.5 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/17/18
Milwaukee is 4-1 ATS in their last five games against Eastern Conference teams. They are also 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against their Central Division opponents. The Pistons haven’t played well against the top teams lately as they’ve only been 0-4 ATS in their last four games against teams with a winning percentage of above .600.
Prediction: Bucks -3.5
The over is 15-13 on the Milwaukee season with the over and under split at 6 games each in their 12 road games played this season. The under is 14-13 in Detroit’s 27 games played so far and the over and under are at an even 8-8 in the Pistons’ 16 home games played.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Detroit Pistons 12/17/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 222 -105, Under 222 -115
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/17/18
The Bucks have the top scoring offense in the league but the Pistons rank only 19th and averaged just 100.5 points per game during their six game losing streak. The Pistons have been very inconsistent this season and I’m not sure which team shows up every night. That said, the under is 4-0-1 in the last four meetings between these teams.
Prediction: Under 222
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