The Milwaukee Bucks were the toast of the 2019-20 season by winning a league-high 56 games and going a moneymaking 39-34 ATS even though it went off the board favored at online sportsbooks in all but six of 73 played games; think about that for a second! The Orlando Magic finished second in the Southeast Division, but did so by way of procuring a losing 32-40 record and going 34-36-2 versus the closing NBA betting odds. With the No. 8 seed defeating the No. 1 only five times in NBA Playoffs history, it comes as no surprise to see the Bucks installed gargantuan -5000 favorites to advance into the Eastern Conference semifinals. They’ll undoubtedly be favored to win in each and every game of this 1/8 matchup.
This series will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. Tip-off is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18, 2020 and go to Sunday, August 30 should a seventh game be needed to decide the outcome. All games will be aired live on TNT, ESPN and NBATV. You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu the remainder of the playoffs.
Series Winner Odds
Orlando Magic +1400
Milwaukee Bucks -5000
Series Schedule
Game 1: Tue, Aug 18 Orlando at Milwaukee, 1:30 ET, TNT
Game 2: Thu, Aug 20 Orlando at Milwaukee, 6 ET, ESPN
Game 3: Sat, Aug 22 Milwaukee at Orlando, 1 ET, TNT
Game 4: Mon, Aug 24 Milwaukee at Orlando, 1:30 ET, NBATV
Game 5*: Wed, Aug 26 Orlando at Milwaukee, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Fri, Aug 28 Milwaukee at Orlando, TBD, TBD
Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30 Orlando at Milwaukee, TBD, TBD
Futures Odds Analysis
The Magic have no shot of winning this series in the eyes of the oddsmakers. With Milwaukee tabbed a -5000 favorite, its implied probability of moving on checks in at 98 percent! That means Orlando has a slim 2 percent shot of moving on according to those setting the odds. Makes sense considering Milwaukee finds itself installed the +260 odds-on favorites to win the NBA title ahead of both the Clippers +300 and Lakers +320. If you think the Magic have it in them to pull off what would be an enormous upset, a $100 wager would bring back a whopping $1400!
Head-To-Head Results
It would be quite the shock for Orlando to win this series let alone compete in it when taking the regular season results into account. Milwaukee won all four meetings and went on to cover the pointspread three times. The Bucks beat the Magic on their own floor by an average of 24.5 points per game, and also took care of business at home where they logged 110-101 and 111-100 triumphs to split against the spread. With both scoring defenses ranked amongst the top-8 in the league, the under cashed in at a 3-0-1 clip with an average of 210.8 points scored per game.
Magic Player to Watch
Orlando’s offense revolves around the ability of big man Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier each being able to do their things both down low and around the perimeter. The former leads the team in scoring and rebounding per game with an average of 19.5 points and 10.9 rebounds. The latter averages 18.5 points per game and is far and away the team’s best 3-point shooter in converting at a near 40 percent clip. It remains to be seen how effective Fournier will be as he attempts to recover from contracting the coronavirus.
Bucks Player to Watch
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the Bucks prime time player. Arguably the best player in the entire league, "The Greek Freak" does it all from scoring an average of 29.5 PPG, pulling down an average of 13.6 rebounds per game and dishing off an average of 5.6 assists per game. His only main weakness is from the charity stripe where he converted at a pedestrian 63.3 percent clip. He along with Khris Middleton 20.9 PPG and Brook Lopez 12.0 PPG form one of the nastiest front courts the league has to offer.
Injury Report
Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier are still dealing with COVID-19 quarantines and illnesses, so it’s unknown when or if either will be able to suit up for this series. Aaron Gordon and his 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game could also be out of the mix as he deals with the strained hamstring that saw him miss Orlando’s final four bubble games. As for Milwaukee, Wesley Matthew and Ersan Ilyasova are listed as questionable with groin and elbow injuries respectively.
NBA Odds Pick
While Orlando only concedes an average of 108 points per game and owns the league’s No. 9 ranked defensive efficiency, none of that meant anything in its four run-ins with the Bucks in the regular season. Milwaukee shot nearly 49 percent from the field and converted at a 38.8 percent clip from long range. On top of that, it dominated the rebounding battle. Vucevic is likely going to get his since he averaged a near double-double versus the Bucks premiere top ranked field goal percentage defense, but the Magic don’t have anyone else they can depend on for automatic offense with Fournier ailing. Look for the Bucks to make quick work of the Magic by way of its nasty defense and advantage on the glass to advance in style - I’m calling for the broom job!
Prediction: Bucks in 4
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