The NBA best Los Angeles Lakers put their perfect 7-0 road record on the line when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night to open a seven-game road trip in what could be a preview of the NBA Finals. The Bucks overcame a slow start to the season to regain a familiar spot atop the Eastern Conference standings. Reigning two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and former MVP LeBron James go head to head for the only time in the first half of the season schedule looking to settle their differences after the teams split a pair of games last season.
The contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 21, 2021, from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee and will air live on TNT. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Thursday NBA schedule.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
Golden State Warriors (Check Back Later)
Los Angeles Lakers (Check Back Later)
Over/Under (Check Back Later)
Odds Analysis
The Lakers were 2-2 after the first week of the season. Then they went on the road and everything changed. They won nine of their next 10 going 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS in their away games. They covered the closing line in each of their last three away games winning each one by at least 17 points. Overall the Lakers are 11-3 SU and 8-6 ATS earning payouts in each of their last four outings. The Bucks are on a run of their own with wins in seven of their last eight games while going 4-4 ATS. They got by Dallas on 112-109 on Jan. 5 improving to 6-1 SU and 4-3 ATS at home. The league’s most efficient offense has played below the total in four straight games and the OVER is 7-6.
Los Angeles Lakers
It’s hard to imagine superstars in today’s game playing defense, but that’s what LeBron James and Anthony Davis are doing for the Lakers. Two weeks ago following a loss to San Antonio, AD criticized LA’s defense saying they wouldn’t repeat if they continued to play like that. It looks like his teammates got the message. They swept a three-game road trip allowing just over 100 points per game and returned to Staples Center to beat New Orleans 112-95. It was LA’s 28th straight win when holding their opponent under 100 points. “We’ve been locking in defensively. We want to keep that edge. We want to keep that mindset of being scrappy, being physical,” Davis said.
The Lakers better be locked in against the league’s most efficient offense if they want to extend their winning streak. If not they’ll have to score points and they have the horses to do that. With LeBron and AD leading the way the Lakers have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA at 114.9. They shoot nearly 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range with five players scoring in double figures. Signing former Clipper Montrezl Harrell may have been the best move the team made. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has solidified the bench averaging 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks might not put as much of an emphasis on the regular season if it means having more success in the playoffs. Of course we don’t know what’s going to happen and the playoffs aren’t guaranteed considering how the season has gone so far. So the Bucks will continue to grind it out and they’ve been the best over the previous two seasons posting the best record in the league while winning around 75 percent of their games. They had to get tougher defensively in order to get over the hump, which is one reason why they acquired Jrue Holiday. And much like the Lakers acquiring Harrell, the move has worked out in their favor.
Holiday is a tenacious defender and he’s provided secondary scoring to Giannis and Khris Middleton. He’s also one of three players on the team to average at least 5.0 assists per game. Even with the new additions, it’s Antetokounmpo’s team and his legacy will ultimately be defined by postseason success. The Freak is having another stellar campaign averaging 26.6 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 53.5 percent from the field. What is troubling is his free throw shooting. Giannis had a bad night from the stripe against Dallas going 1 of 10 and he’s around Shaq numbers now at 57.5 percent for the season. That needs to improve or the Bucks could lose games because of it.
NBA Odds Pick
Defense might win championships, but offense will prevail in this game. The Bucks felt they should have been playing for the title last season instead of watching the Lakers triumph over the team that ousted them. That’s enough motivation to have me leaning toward the home team. Oh, and there’s Giannnis, too. He’s always a good bet.
NBA Odds Prediction: Bucks 115, Lakers 108
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