Milwaukee vs Golden State Prediction: the Bucks Can Stop the Warriors Without Their Leader

Milwaukee lost Giannis Antetokounmpo to injury and will be hosting Golden State, who have strengthened their roster. Could the absence of the leader be a factor in the Bucks' failure in the upcoming game? The answer is in our free prediction. Let's analyze the line and bookmakers' odds, statistical trends, and pick up several options for betting on this match.

Milwaukee

The Bucks had to play without Giannis, who's going to miss the upcoming All-Star Weekend and the previous game.Doc Rivers' team hosted Philadelphia at home on the eve of the Super Bowl and managed to cope with the absence of their leader.The game was very effective, and ended with a victory of Milwaukee with a score of 135:127. Damian Lillard was the most productive for the Bucks, scoring 43 points. Bobby Portis got a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma made his debut for the new team. The forward scored 13 points, which is pretty efficient.

Milwaukee's got a solid grasp on the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting pretty at 28-23. But without Giannis, the Bucks might be in for a bit of a slump. The team's handicap from seventh place in the East has dropped to just 2.0 wins.

GS Warriors

The Warriors got a boost when they traded for Jimmy Butler, and he made his debut in the previous game. On the road, Golden State took down Chicago 132:111. Butler put up 25 points, and Stephen Curry, now with a boost on offense, scored 34. Draymond Green had just 6 points but 7 assists.

With Butler now on the team, it's looking good for Golden State to make it to the play-in round.Right now, the Warriors are tied with Phoenix for tenth place in the Western Conference with a 26-26 record, but they're close to the top six with 3.5 wins.

H2H Meetings

The two teams haven't played each other this season yet, but they've split the home wins between them in the last two championships.

Stats Betting

• Milwaukee has won their last four home games against Golden State.
• The Bucks scored more than 231 points in 8 of their last 12 games.
• The Bucks scored more than 112 points in 7 of their last 8 home games.
• Golden State didn't reach the 120-point mark in 15 of the last 17 road games.

Expert Betting Tips

Milwaukee showed in the last game against Philadelphia that they're able to put up points even without Giannis. Golden State will definitely improve their offense with Jimmy Butler, who's capable of scoring an extra 20+ points per game on average. In the next game, we're betting more on the total, and we also think the Bucks are underestimated, so we're taking the home team's plus forfeit. After all, Doc Rivers has a great lineup, and Giannis' injury shouldn't affect it.

Our picks: 

W1 & TU (232.5) for 5.50

H1 (+6.5) for 1.83

TO (229.5) for 1.77