NBA Picks and Betting Tips: Utah Jazz vs Milwaukee Bucks
NLB Staff
07.11.2024 12:43
Jazz vs Bucks Prediction
As the Utah Jazz enter this game in a tank mode for their first overall pick chances to rise, they play a Milwaukee Bucks roster that has completely underperformed to start the season. With both teams just having one win on the season, the Bucks come in after losing a 2nd straight game to the Cavaliers, while Utah enters this matchup having won by 9 points against Chicago. This matchup will take place on November 8th at 6:30 A.M. IST in Fiserv Forum of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Below are our key player props, betting tips, important injuries, and recent trends to create a potential outcome for this matchup.
Utah Jazz vs Bucks Key Betting Tips & Predictions
1. Utah Jazz vs Milwaukee Bucks Moneyline Pick
As the Bucks moneyline is at -370 for this game, it is a perfect selection due to them having a high chance of winning this game. Seeing that they have a great duo between Giannias and Dame to score, the Jazz’s ability of just having Lauri Markannen won’t be enough. Even though Keyonte George is growing as a player, the lack of depth without Jordan Clarkson could be a key issue for this Jazz squad. Although Walker Kessler has remained a great rebounder, the size of Milwaukee with Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez added to Giannias will make it very hard for him to control flow, having just John Collins back him up. Seeing this, it is really with taking the -370 money line pick as the Bucks are 3-2 against the Jazz in it over the past 5 matchups.
2. Utah Jazz vs Milwaukee Bucks Point Spread Pick
As the Bucks spread is at -8.5 in this game, they should be heavy favorites due to their strength at every position. With Lauri Markkanen potentially back for the Jazz, he will have to face one of the best defensive forwards in Giannias Antetokoumpo who can play inside or outside. Giannis possesses a great inside offensive game as well and creates 2nd chance opportunities with his rebounding it helps that Damian Lillard has a mismatch over Keyonte George. His ability to knock down a ton of shots at a rapid pace will help take out any issues Gary Trent Jr. has had and also help Brook Lopez get free for easy layups or threes. With Walker Kessler sticking on Lopez in this game, he will move towards the outside to create a 5-out where he could be open with most of the attention potentially going on Bobby Portis Jr. As Giannias and Lopez are some of the top shot blockers in the league, Damian Lillard can handle Keynote George on defense and make this game have a huge difference. Making this claim, it should be a huge blowout between these two teams, and the -8.5 spread looks perfect.
3. Utah Jazz vs Milwaukee Bucks Over/Under Pick (Total Points)
With the over/under being 227.5 in this game, Milwaukee and Utah should end up being in a very high-scoring affair. Even though Milwaukee has a point guard who can hit any shot, plus one of the strongest power forward/center duos in the league, they will help carry this scoreline. Going up against Utah, who can get their top offensive piece back at forward, the growth of their backcourt has been great to see, and could potentially end up scoring more points than most expect. With the last 2 games going over 230 combined points, this should be another one of those games with a lot of buckets.
Utah Jazz vs Milwaukee Bucks Top Player Props
John Collins Over 6.5 Rebounds at 1.91: As the Jazz backup center has shown growth in his rebounding game since joining Utah, his strength will continue against a much smaller backup of the Bucks in Bobby Portis Jr. With Giannias having to focus on Markannen’s offensive prowess, he will have plenty of chances to out-body Portis inside and also create a ton of opportunities for defensive rebounds of missed shots. Given that he is averaging 7.8 boards a night this season, his numbers should continue being higher.
Damian Lillard Over 3.5 Three-pointers at 1.50: Given that Lillard gets a matchup against Keyonte George in this game, he will have an advantage over a defender who has had trouble closing out on shooters. With Gary Trent Jr. not being a reliable outside shooter for the start of the season, the Bucks will keep firing away with their superstar point guard Damian Lillard. Given this plus the fact he is shooting 39.1% from deep, Lillard should easily be able to make over 4 three-pointers.
Utah Jazz vs Bucks Injury News & Impact
Utah Jazz Injuries: As the Jazz could be without their top scorer in Lauri Markannen, 18.0 points and 7.3 rebounds, again due to a back issue, it could lead to a lot of potential issues with Kyle Filipkowski being forced to play an uncomfortable amount of minutes. Already having lost Taylor Hendricks before and causing Walker Kessler to make an impact throughout the entire game, this squad has also lost both backup guards Isaiah Collier plus Jordan Clarkson. Although Collier doesn’t seem to be a massive loss, Clarkson’s planter fasciitis could cause this team to miss one of their key scorers throughout the game.
Milwaukee Bucks Injuries: With the Bucks having shown heavy struggles without Khris Middleton being available as a scoring option, his ankle injury will likely not allow him to play in this game either. Given that Giannias Antetokoumpo, 31.0 points and 12.3 rebounds, could miss the matchup due to a hip issue, this game could completely flip just based on Milwaukee losing his ability to be a force inside and an important rebounder. Not having him in the lineup could cause Bobby Portis Jr. to have a much-expanded role during this matchup.
Utah Jazz vs Bucks Head-to-Head Trends
Although the Jazz have won two straight games against the Bucks, this Utah squad will not have the same firepower and could end up being on the losing end as they had already during their three matchups before this streak. With two of those previous 3 matches ended in differences over 25 points, Utah had ended up winning their games by a difference of more than 14 both times. With this game expected to be a lopsided affair once again, the Bucks will be favored as they have been 4-1 against the spread vs Utah. In these games, Milwaukee has gone over 100 points each time.
Betting Insights & Public Trends
As this game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz will take place, 79.6% of the bettors are backing Milwaukee to come out victorious.
Utah Jazz vs Bucks Final Prediction
As the Utah Jazz enter this game down some key pieces, it should be a game Milwaukee can use to rebound from their early season struggles. If the Jazz don’t have Lauri Markannen in this game and Giannis doesn’t play for the Bucks, Bobby Portis Jr. could easily win this matchup over Kyle Filipkoswki. With great strength and speed, he will be able to beat from three plus win the rebounding game that Filipkoswki still needs to show improvement in as he is developing. But, if these two end up playing their full roles, it could be very different as Lauri Markannen will try his best to provide from three. Giannis will dominate this matchup for the Bucks as well with elite defensive and interior scoring, but given that the Jazz power forward plays, it could give them a chance. With Keyonte George having to guard one of the best shooters in Damian Lillard, it will be a nightmare on defense as the Bucks's point guard has shown some great ability to still hit long-range jumpers. Given that Walker Kessler has been one of the best defensive centers over the past couple of years, his ability to guard Bucks center Brook Lopez could be a challenge. As Lopez is a rare 7-footer whose primary shot is the three, he could get many open looks, or could Markannen fall on him Giannias going for dunks over Kessler. But, if the Jazz can force Gary Trent Jr. to take a lot of shots and their bench including guys like Patty Mills plus Colin Sexton keep attacking, this could be a much closer contest.
Our Prediction: The Bucks should win this game and cover the -8.5 spread, while the score goes over 227.5 points.
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