There are ten games around the Association on Friday night, so here’s the best betting pick for the marquee interconference matchup between the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks along with the latest odds update on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Jazz continue their east-coast journey, hoping to snap a two-game skid. They’ve won 14 of their last 19 encounters with the Bucks, but Friday’s game might be a tricky one for the Jazz.
Utah continues to struggle offensively
The Utah Jazz (4-4; 3-5 ATS) opened their seven-game road trip with an impressive 130-109 victory at San Antonio on January 3, but their next two games brought a couple of tough losses. The Jazz suffered humiliation at Brooklyn 130-96 as 4.5-point favorites and are coming off a 112-100 defeat at New York as 8-point favorites.
Donovan Mitchell had 31 points against the Nets, but the Jazz shot only 38.8% from the field while playing some lousy defense. Against the Knicks, the Jazz blew an 18-point lead, yielding a whopping 68 second-half points.
Utah allows 110.7 points per 100 possessions (18th in the league) while tallying 109.0 in a return (15th). The Jazz average only 21.6 assists per game (28th) and shoot 44.9% from the field (20th). They desperately need more from Bojan Bogdanovic (11.8 PPG, 35.1 FG%), while Donovan Mitchell (21.3 PPG, 5.0 APG) makes just 37.9% of his field goals.
Milwaukee looks to stay perfect at home
The Milwaukee Bucks (5-3; 4-4 ATS) are riding a three-game win streak following a 130-115 victory to the Detroit Pistons this past Wednesday. It was their second win over Detroit in three days, while the Bucks are 4-0 straight up and 3-1 ATS at home this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (26.1 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 5.4 APG) and Khris Middleton (21.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 6.1 APG) lead the way for the Bucks who have the best offensive rating in the league. Milwaukee scores 120.8 points per 100 possessions, and the Bucks play at the fourth-fastest pace of 103.7 possessions per 48 minutes.
On the other side of the ball, the Bucks surrender 107.6 points per 100 possessions (12th). They allow their opponents to make only 21.3 assists per 100 possessions which are the third-fewest in the Association.
[metabet_core_odds_compare query=”nba/bucks” size=”300×250″ site_id=”atsio” css=”float:right; margin-left:10px”]Trends:
Utah:
- 3-9 ATS in the last 12 games overall
- 1-5 ATS in the last six games against Eastern Conference
Milwaukee:
- 4-0 ATS in the last four home games against Western Conference
- 14-6 ATS in the last 20 games played on Friday
The Winner Prediction
I still see the Jazz as a top-5 team in the Western Conference, but I don’t like their current form. Utah struggles to make anything from the field which also affects their defense that is far away from a high standard.
On the other side, the Bucks have had some ups and downs, especially on the defensive end. However, I like how they match up with the Jazz, so I’m backing the hosts to win and cover.
Milwaukee loves to play aggressive defense and push the ball in transition. The Bucks can switch almost everything, and the Jazz will be in big trouble if they continue to share the ball as they did in the previous two weeks.
Pick: Take Milwaukee -6.0 at -110
The Total:
If they want to beat Milwaukee on the road, the Jazz have to slow down things as much as they can. Utah tallies 99.6 possessions per 48 minutes, and the Jazz don’t want to get into the clutter with the Bucks.
Hereof, I’m betting on the under. The betting trends are not helping at all, though the under has hit in five of the previous seven encounters between Utah and Milwaukee. The Bucks can put some serious numbers on the scoreboard, but only one of Utah’s eight games this season produced more than 230 points in total.
Pick: Go under 232.5 points at -110