NBA preview and tips: Milwaukee Bucks @ Washington Wizards
- George Dempsey
- 4 April 2023
We can expect a high-energy, high-scoring game when the Bucks and the Wizards lock horns on Tuesday night.
The Milwaukee Bucks are two games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the standings and will start the playoffs as the number one seed overall. Boston could better their record, but a total collapse seems unlikely.
Things aren't as rosy for the Washington Wizards, who won't have play-off basketball to look forward to. They've dropped seven of their last nine games and looked like a beaten team in their 118-109 loss to the Knicks.
It's hard to expect the Wizards to match Milwaukee's level of motivation in this game, and their current injury list could further complicate things by limiting their scoring power.
That said, the Milwaukee defence has not been up to par recently. They've allowed 140, 136, 126, 129, and 116 in their last six games.
They've still managed to win four of those, which speaks volumes about their offensive output. The standout game was their 149-136 win over Indiana in which they abandoned all interest in defence and just let loose.
Given the fact that Milwaukee are pretty much guaranteed their top seed, and playing a down-on-their-luck team, it's fair to expect another defence-second approach here.
Milwaukee will be comfortable in the knowledge they can quite easily drop 120+ on the Wizards, and it's interesting to note that no team played at a faster pace than Milwaukee in March, proving the Bucks are letting loose right now.
Standout ATS Trends
Over is 33-15 when the Wizards face a road team winning 60% or better
Over is 49-22 when the Wizards face a team winning 60% or better
Over is 6-2 in the Buck's last eight road games
Over is 15-5-1 when the Bucks are a road favourite of 11+ points
Team News
Whilst the Bucks have a clean bill of health for this game, the Wizards are sweating on the fitness of several key players. Kristaps Porzingis, Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, and Monte Morris all missed their last game.
