The teams have battled it out in the Eastern Conference the last few seasons and they’ll go at it again on Thursday when the Toronto Raptors visit the Milwaukee Bucks in the first game of a TNT doubleheader. Despite losing the final three games on a recent six-game road trip, the Bucks are still second in the Eastern Conference and look to make up ground during an eight-game homestand. The clubs are finishing up a two-game set and playing for the third time this season following Milwaukee’s win and cover last month.The contest between the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 18, 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
Toronto Raptors (Check Back Later)
Milwaukee Bucks (Check Back Later)
Over/Under (Check Back Later)
Odds Analysis
Just when it looks like the Raptors are about to make a run they take a few steps back. That couldn’t have been more evident on Sunday when they lost to the West worst Timberwolves, 116-112. It has to be tough playing your ‘home’ schedule away from home so maybe hitting the road is what the Raptors need. They went 4-2 SU and ATS on a six-game trip that preceded their setback to Minnesota. The Raps have won three of the last four meetings in Milwaukee going 3-1 ATS. Overall this season they are 6-9 SU and 7-8 ATS on the road. The Bucks crushed it during a five-game winning streak with an average margin of nearly 21 points. That run came to a sudden halt with three straight defeats. Maybe they were looking forward to a long stay at home with Thursday’s tilt the second of eight straight at Fiserv Forum where they are 9-2 SU and 7-4 ATS.
Toronto Raptors
It isn’t a complete surprise that the Raptors have as many road wins as home wins since they don’t really have a home. At least they settled in the city of champions by using Tampa as their home base. Maybe some of that good fortune from the city’s other pro sports teams will rub off. It hasn’t yet and the Raps are clinging to the eighth seed in the East entering the week.
No matter how you slice it this is a tough stretch for the Raptors. They finished a six-game road trip with four victories and played one ‘home’ game before going back on the road. They’ll play two in Milwaukee before looking to avenge that loss to Minnesota. The Raps dropped three games below .500 with Sunday’s loss, but they are still in the thick of a crowded Eastern Conference. They are just two games behind fourth-place Indiana.
Consistency will be a key moving forward. The Raps won five of six going 5-1 ATS before losses to Boston and Minnesota. They have been consistently efficient on offense averaging 114 points while knocking down nearly 39 percent of their three-pointers. Pascal Siakam leads six players averaging more than 13 points with 20.5.
Milwaukee Bucks
After posting the best record in the NBA the past two seasons and getting stopped short of the Finals both times, the Bucks are poised to be playing their best basketball when it matters. We saw how destructive they can be during a recent five-game winning streak when they won every game by at least 13 points with three decided by 20 or more. At the time it looked like the Bucks were ready to go on one of their lengthy winning streaks that defined the previous two campaigns.
It wasn’t to be and the Bucks return home after losing three straight on the road while going 0-3 ATS. With two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way the Bucks are again a top offensive team. They score over 120 points per game while having the NBA’s second-best field goal and three-point percentage. Giannis recorded his fourth triple-double of the season with 24 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss to Oklahoma City.
NBA Odds Pick
The Bucks haven’t been nearly as good defensively leading to the OVER going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. With the teams playing for the second time in three nights there won’t be any secrets, it’s just about executing. Their losing streak coincided with Jrue Holiday going on the COVID list. With him possibly back in the lineup on Thursday, I have to side with the Bucks.
NBA Odds Prediction: Bucks 117, Raptors 110
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