Tip-off: 0335, 07/03/2020
Stadium: Staples Center
TV: Sky Sports
NBA regular-season games don’t get much better than when Western Conference leaders LA Lakers entertain Milwaukee, top dogs in the East.
LeBron James coming up against Giannis Antetokounmpo is just one of the sub-plots at Staples Center, in what could prove a preview of this year’s finals.
Picking a winner is tough, but we just feel LA will be hungrier to make a statement of intent on home turf after losing the last six head-to-head encounters.
Let’s go with the James gang at 91/100 on the money line for our initial Lakers vs Bucks prediction.
A Look At Los Angeles Lakers’ Betting Odds
This game comes at a good time for the Lakers, who put up one of their best performances of the season when crushing Philadelphia 120-107 here last time out.
That was a ninth win in 10 outings for LA, improving their overall record to 47-13 and putting them four victories clear in the Eastern Conference.
James continues to justify his status as the biggest name in the sport and hit 22 points, while Anthony Davis was on fire versus the 76ers, posting 37 points and 13 rebounds.
“AD was going nuts,” James told ESPN. “It was fun. Having him here is everything I expected and more.
“When you get a generational talent like that and you got an opportunity to get him, you just try to do whatever you can to get him.”
Too many turnovers and a poor showing from the bench hurt the Lakers when they lost 111-104 in Milwaukee just before Christmas.
However, that defeat came during a four-game slump and the feeling is that LA go into this encounter in much better shape.
A tight tussle is on the cards, but we’re siding with the hosts at 4/1 to shade it by 1-5 points in our Lakers vs Bucks betting tips.
A Look At Milwaukee Bucks’ Betting Odds
Milwaukee are a mile clear in the East, 15 wins to be exact, after brushing aside Indiana 119-100 to move to 53-9.
Antetokounmpo was on song with 29 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the Bucks recovered well from an alarming 105-89 defeat in Miami.
“We didn’t just lose, we played bad against Miami and I think everybody in this locker room wanted to play ball and just get back on track and get a win,” declared the Greek Freak.
Milwaukee can look forward to dominating their side of the play-offs, but there are still concerns that playing in a weaker conference will not prepare them sufficiently for facing the best of the West.
Prior to feeling the heat in Miami, the Bucks had laboured to a 93-85 triumph when visiting a moderate Charlotte outfit, so their current form is also questionable.
With those slight doubts surfacing ahead of taking on a mean LA defence, we like 9/10 for Milwaukee to be kept under 113.5 points from the Lakers vs Bucks odds.
Additional stats
Last result:
LAKERS 120-107 Philadelphia
BUCKS 119-100 Indiana
Head-to-head: Bucks 111-104 Lakers, Bucks 115-101 Lakers, Lakers 120-131 Bucks, Lakers 122-124 Bucks
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