The Milwaukee Bucks (25-10) travel to face off against the Houston Rockets (17-16) on Saturday, January 6th. This game will be played at Toyota Center. The Bucks are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rockets are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Spurs. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.
Bucks vs Rockets
The Bucks Are Coming Off A Win
In their last game, the Bucks defeated the Spurs with a final score of 125-121. As the second half got underway, the Bucks were leading by a score of 64-59.
Heading into the matchup against the Rockets, the Bucks have a 25-10 record overall and have gone 1-2 in their last three games. At home, the Bucks are 16-3 compared to 9-7 on the road this season.
Milwaukee’s ATS record is currently below .500 at 15-20 for the season. On the road, the Bucks have an ATS record of 8-8 compared to a 7-12 record vs. the spread at home.
The Rockets Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Houston’s most recently played the Timberwolves and lost with a final score of 122-95. the Rockets not only lost the game outright but also fell short of covering the spread as +4 point underdogs. The over/under line for this matchup was set at 216.5 points, and the teams managed to exceed that total.
In their last five games, the Rockets are 2-3 and have an overall record of 17-16. When playing on the road, the Rockets are 3-10 this season, compared to 14-6 at home.
Houston has an overall ATS record of 20-12 for the season so far. Houston has gone 9-2 against the spread this season when they are the favorites, and they are 11-10 when playing as underdogs.
Bucks Offense Breakdown
The Bucks arrive for today’s game as one of the NBA’s top offensive teams, scoring an average of 124.8 points per game (2nd). The Bucks come into the game as one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams, connecting at a rate of 14.3 made 3’s per game. If the Milwaukee offense is going to continue to produce at a high level, they will need to do a better job taking care of the ball as they are turning the ball over at an above-average rate.
Rockets Offense Breakdown
The Rockets come into today’s game as the 23rd ranked scoring offense at 112.5 points per game. When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Rockets are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 98.1 per contest. Their slower style of play has created fewer offensive opportunities, leading to them being ranked 25th in fields goals made per contest.
Bucks Team Defense
Facing Houston, the Bucks aims for a better defensive performance, given their current average of 119.7 points allowed per game (24th). When it comes to forced turnovers, the Bucks are forcing 13.1 per game, which is 17th in the league. They also come into the game sitting 10th in blocked shots at 5.6 per game.
Rockets Team Defense
So far, the Rockets’ defense is ranked 2nd in the league at 109.9 points per contest. In their previous matchup vs. the Timberwolves, the Rockets’ defense struggled, giving up a field goal percentage of 52% leading to 122 points.
Key Players For The Bucks And Rockets
In today’s game, our projections have Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the Bucks with 30 points on 11/19 shooting from the field. This season, he is averaging 31.1 points per game along with 11.4 boards.
On the flip side, our predictions place Jalen Green as the leading scorer for the Rockets. We expect him to conclude the game with a team-high 19 while also collecting 4 rebounds. Throughout the season, he has maintained a 40.6% field goal shooting rate and is averaging 17.5 points per game.
Bucks vs Rockets Trends
- Although Milwaukee has a straight up record of 2-1 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs. the spread going 1-2. The team averaged 124 points per game in these games.
- When looking at their past three home matchups, Houston has an ATS record of 1-2 while averaging 118 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
- The last three games that Houston was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 0-3 while going 0-3 straight up.
- Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Bucks have a straight up record of 7-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 4-6.
Bucks vs Rockets Prediction
In this Bucks vs. Rockets matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Rockets at +5.5. While we project the Bucks to win 116-114, our recommendation is to bet on the Rockets for the point-spread.
As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 238.5, and our model projects the Bucks and Rockets to reach a combined total of 230 points. Our bet is on taking the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 6, 2024 Bucks, Rockets, Uncategorized