The Portland Trail Blazers expect to be one of the main contenders in the Western Conference this season but are off to a slow start. This team has talent but needs to pick it up soon because there are a lot of talented teams jockeying for position atop the West. The Blazers have a tough matchup next time out when they hit the road to face off against the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee entered the season as the team to beat in the East and has gotten off to a nice start. This is a matchup between two of the better teams in the NBA, and it seems clear that the Bucks will be the solid favorite.
This NBA regular season game between the Portland Trail Blazers and Milwaukee Bucks will be held at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 21st, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2019 NBA season.
Odds Analysis
The Bucks have a 9-3 record on the season, which is one of the best records in the NBA. Milwaukee had the most wins in the league last season and has almost every key piece back in the fold. The Bucks are hard to beat at home and will be expected to win this one.
The Blazers are just 5-8 through 13 games and are far down the standings in the West. Portland has actually done a nice job this season on the road with four wins in eight attempts, but will be hard-pressed to spring this upset.
Recent Addition
The Blazers are hoping to find an answer to their woes at forward with the addition of a familiar face. Carmelo Anthony has not played in the NBA since last season but the team recently signed him to a contract. Anthony used to be one of the best players in the league but is clearly not at that same level any longer.
While he is more of a role player now, the Blazers are hoping he can give the roster a boost. The offense is still going to run through Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, but it will be interesting to see if Anthony can help. This is expected to be one of his first games of the year, so Anthony may not have a huge role, but he has long known how to score and if he gets hot it could be a factor.
Player To Watch
Giannis Antetokounmpo -- The Bucks’ forward is the reigning MVP and having another stellar season. The Greek Freak is averaging 30.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, all of which lead the team. He is shooting 58 percent from the field and is nearly unstoppable in the paint.
Antetokounmpo is trying to improve his three-point shooting, and if that portion of his game ever becomes average or better, there will literally be no good way to defend him. The Blazers have to try to keep Antetokounmpo from dominating this one in order to have a shot at staying close, but that is much easier said than done.
NBA Pick
The Blazers should start to turn things around as the season gets going, as this group has too much talent to be outside the playoff picture for long. However, this is a really tough matchup on the road against the Bucks, and Portland is going to come up short. The Bucks will get the higher-quality looks consistently and should have no problem cruising to the victory and covering the spread.
NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks 126, Portland Trail Blazers 114
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