by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Oct 22, 2021
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Where to watch: KENS, Bally Sports Wisconsin
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: NL
Season record
Bucks: 1-1
Spurs: 1-0 (entering Friday)
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Bucks - Spurs preview and analysis
Recent form
Bucks: lost 137-95 at Heat on Thursday
Spurs: won 123-97 vs. Magic on Wednesday
That emotion we talked about with the Milwaukee Bucks caught up to them on Thursday.
I'd suppose P.J. Tucker to the revenge he's longed for.
The defending NBA champions were held to 95 points on Thursday, while the Miami Heat scorched that stout defense for 137 points in a dominant victory on Thursday.
Now with a day off to reflect on what happened, the Bucks continue their road slate with a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
The Bucks got to celebrate their championship in dominant fashion Tuesday night with the home victory against the Brooklyn Nets. Milwaukee came back down to Earth on Thursday after shooting 38.1 percent from the floor. Giannis Antetokounmpo was held to only 15 points on 4 of 11 shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds. Khris Middleton went 4 of 14 while Grayson Allen had 14 points on 5 of 11.
It was an uncharacteristic night for the Milwaukee defense. Tyler Herro led the way with 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench, while Jimmy Butler had 21 and Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Kyle Lowry had only five points and six assists in his Miami debut.
But the Bucks were down some significant pieces in this game. Starting point guard Jrue Holiday (heel), starting center Brook Lopez (back) and sixth man Bobby Portis (hamstring) were not available.
"We'll get some of the guys back and every team is going to deal with this at different points, most likely," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "It's a long journey and we're just getting started."
With those three players out, the Heat were able to hold Antetokounmpo to below 50 percent shooting. He got to the free-throw line 10 times, making six of them.
It's unclear how long the Bucks will be without Holiday, but he could be missed a great deal facing a Spurs team that is heavily reliable on their guard play.
The Spurs' meeting with the Bucks will be a second game of a back to back. They'll be at the Denver Nuggets on Friday. But San Antonio is coming off a 26-point win over the young Orlando Magic where all five starters scored in double figures, led by a combined 31 points from the backcourt of Derrick White and Dejounte Murray.
San Antonio improved to 23-2 in season openers under head coach Gregg Popovich.
“It was a lot of fun,” White said. “Get out, run, make a play for yourself or a teammate. The crowd’s into it. It was a lot of fun out there.”
The Spurs are going to be a team based on defense this year as it figures out that identity without DeMar DeRozan in the lineup anymore. The burden will need to be on those two young guards and Lonnie Walker IV (17 points) and last year's first-round pick Devin Vassell (19 points).
Prediction
With the Spurs coming back from Denver playing a back to back, this is a great opportunity for the Bucks to iron out some kinks and get back on track. Expect Giannis to be more ball dominant than he was Thursday and take control of the offense if Holiday can't go. Bucks by 14
Betting trends
Milwaukee is 4-16 ATS in its last 20 against Southwest Division teams.
The Spurs are 26-40 ATS at home in the past three seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Bucks:
PG: George Hill
SG: Grayson Allen
SF: Pat Connaughton
PF: Khris Middleton
C: Giannis Antetokounmpo
SF: Pat Connaughton
PF: Khris Middleton
C: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Spurs:
PG: Dejounte Murray
SG: Derrick White
SF: Doug McDermott
PF: Keldon Johnson
C: Jakob Poeltl
SF: Doug McDermott
PF: Keldon Johnson
C: Jakob Poeltl
Statistical leaders
Bucks:
Points: Giannis Antetokounmpo -- 23.5
Rebounds: Giannis Antetokounmpo -- 12.0
Assists: Giannis Antetokounmpo -- 4.5
Blocks: Giannis Antetokounmpo 1.0
Steals: Giannis Antetokounmpo -- 2.0
Spurs:
Points: Devin Vassell -- 19.0
Rebounds: Jakob Poeltl -- 13.0
Assists: Dejounte Murray -- 8.0
Blocks: Jock Landale -- 1.0
Steals: Dejounte Murray -- 4.0
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
