The Toronto Raptors hit the road and travel to Wisconsin to take on the Milwaukee Bucks at the Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night.
Toronto heads to Milwaukee after back to back losses to the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves while the Bucks return hope after a six-game road trip where they lost the last three. Milwaukee is 9-2 at home this season while Toronto is just 6-9 on the road.
These teams last played on January 27th with the Bucks emerging victorious at 115-108 behind Khris Middleton’s 24 points. Norman Powell led the Raptors with 26 points
The Toronto Raptors are 12-15 on the season and they are currently in the bottom of the Atlantic Division team standings, worse than the Knicks. Despite their early season struggles, the Raptors are still 8th in the Eastern Conference team standings but with back to back losses in their last two assignments, Toronto needs to right the ship before it’s too late.
Pascal Siakam has picked it up after a slow start. Spicy P is averaging 20.5 points,7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this season. Fred VanVleet is averaging a shade under 20 points at 19.9 per outing while veteran Kyle Lowry is putting up 17.7 points and 6.5 assists per game. Chris Boucher is a pleasant surprise at 13.6 points per game while Norman Powell is contributing 16.4 points per contest.
The Raptors are 10th in the NBA in scoring at 113.9 points per game this season. They are dead last in rebounding at 42.9 boards grabbed per contest and are 14th in passing at 25.0 assists per game. Toronto is 16th in scoring defense at 112.1 points per game allowed.
After having the league’s best record in the previous two seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves in unfamiliar territory. With a record of 16-11, the Bucks are on top of the Central Division but are just second in the Eastern Conference team standings. Like the Raptors, the Bucks are in a funk right now with three straight losses, all on the road.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is having another fantastic season at 28.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. Khris Middleton leads the team in passing at 6.0 assists per game while also scoring 20.7 points per contest. New addition Jrue Holiday is contributing 16.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.9 steal per game while Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez are also scoring in double digits.
The Bucks are the 2nd highest-scoring team in the league at 120.7 points per game scored. Milwaukee is only 19th in scoring defense this season at 112.6 points per game allowed. They are also the 2nd best rebounding team in the NBA at 47.8 boards grabbed per contest and are 7th in passing at 26.5 assists per game.
Toronto is 2-3 SU in their last five games played. The Raptors are 4-2 SU in their last six games played on the road, 15-5 SU in their last 20 games against the Central Division, and 12-6 SU in their last 18 February games. Milwaukee is 1-3 SU in their last four games played. The Bucks are 5-1 SU in their last six games played at home, and 11-2 SU in their last 13 games played against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, these teams have split their last 10 meetings but the Bucks have won two out of their last three encounters.
After a slow start, Pascal Siakam has picked up his game and is currently averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. However, his shooting numbers are still off at 46.1% from the floor and 30.2% from deep. The Toronto Raptors rank second in the East in fast break points at 15.6 per contest.
The Bucks are 12-5 against the Eastern Conference which they have ruled during the previous two seasons. Milwaukee is an unselfish team that ranks 7th in the league in passing. One of the reasons why the Bucks have dropped their last three games is the absence of Jrue Holiday who is out due to COVID-10 protocols. Holiday isn’t expected to return soon so the Bucks have to make adjustments here.
Milwaukee has conceded an average of 122.67 points per game during their current three-game losing streak. The Bucks though have allowed just 109.0 points per game at home this season and are a much better team at home than on the road this year. Look for the Bucks to return to the winners’ circle as they return from a long road trip. Give me the home team here.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks
The Raptors are 11-16 ATS in 27 games played this season. Toronto is 7-8 ATS in 15 road games played so far, 4-2 ATS in their last six games against the Eastern Conference, and 4-0 ATS in their last four games when playing on 1-day rest. The Bucks are 13-14 ATS in 27 games played this season. Milwaukee is 7-4 ATS in their last 11 games played at home, 14-4 ATS in their last 18 Tuesday games, and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as the betting favorite. Head to head, these teams are both 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games but the Bucks are 2-1 ATS in their last three meetings.
Both these teams have struggled as of late with the Raptors losing their last two games and the Bucks dropping three straight. Toronto looked bad against Minnesota the last time out while the Bucks disappointed against an OKC team that was without SGA. It will be interesting to see which team returns to the winning column first. These are two talented teams but the Bucks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games after a road trip of seven or more days. Going home will be the key for Milwaukee.
Prediction: Bucks -5.5
The total has gone over in eight out of the last nine games played by the Raptors. Toronto has seen the total go over in each of their last seven road games. The total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Bucks. The over is 7-4 in Milwaukee’s last 11 games played at home. The over is 6-1-1 in Milwaukee’s last eight games one one-day rest. Head to head, the total has gone under in each of the last six meetings between these two teams. The under is also 4-1 in their last five games played in Milwaukee.
There are two teams who don’t waste too much time with the ball. The Raptors average 14.1 seconds per possession while the Bucks are using just 13.6 seconds per possession. Both teams are also in the Top 5 in effective 3PT% so expect a lot of three-point makes here. Toronto is the 10th best scoring team in the NBA while the Bucks are no. 2 in the scoring department. The Raptors have conceded at least 115 points in four out of their last five games while the Bucks have scored at least 120 points in seven out of their last 10 games played.
Prediction Over 234
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