NBA: Washington Wizards VS Milwaukee Bucks Pick and Predictions 01/01/2023

Game: 8:10 PM ET,  Sunday, January 1st, 2023

Venue: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

TV:  NBA League Pass

Wizards: 16-21, 12th place Eastern Conference

Bucks: 23-12, 3rd place Eastern Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread: Bucks -6.5, O/U 226.5 

PointsBet: Point Spread: Bucks -6.5, O/U 226.5

Fanduel: Point Spread: Bucks -6.5, O/U 226.5

Wizards: PF Kristaps Porzingis, SF Kyle Kuzma, C Daniel Gafford, PG Monte Morris, SG Corey Kispert

Bucks: SF Pat Connaughton, PF Giannis Antetokounmpo, C Brook Lopez, PG Jevon Carter, SG Grayson Allen

An Eastern Conference battle that will be all about doctors and training tables.  The Washington Wizards have been so much better on paper the last few seasons than the product they put on the court.  Washington DC is still the home of SG Bradley Beal who is often considered the best trade chip any losing team ever had… yet he never gets traded.  Bradley is listed as questionable for this game because of hamstring soreness.  The team still has SF Kyle Kuzma and PF Kristaps Porzingis… who are two very fine players in the box score… yet they never seem to produce wins (lately some wins have been pouring in).... Also bench players Will Barton and Rui Hachimura don’t have much effect in the win column either. This team is 12th in the Eastern Conference… and they may finally want to pull the trigger on MAJOR trades and get fully into the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes… OR they may want to start winning games?.. They have the talent.  The Milwaukee Bucks are perennial contenders.  They are recent Champions, they have one of the 3 best basketball players on the planet in PF Giannis Antetokounmpo.  He alone makes this team a winner… However in this game he will have to do it alone as his #2 and #3 are out with injury… PG Jrue Holiday has missed two games with hamstring trouble and his return is not for this game… while SF Khris Middleton is in the familiar position of being on the injury list for a long stretch and won’t be back in uniform until mid-Jan. The Bucks have plenty of firepower to beat the Wizards… but by 6.5?  Let’s check the numbers for a great betting opportunity.

The Washington Wizards are on a 4-game winning streak.  And they beat 3 good teams during that run… the Kings, the 76ers, and the Suns… They also beat Orlando 119-100 in their last win… to extend the streak to include 4 wins ATS.  In the win over the Magic PF Kristaps Porzingis torched the paint for 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists.  He got help from Kyle Kuzma with 23 points, and FIVE more guys scored in double figures while Bradley Beal was absent with injury.  They are cruising to wins and having fun.

The Milwaukee Bucks have lost 4 of their last 5 games.  In doing so they allowed the Brooklyn Nets to jump them in the standings for 2nd place in the conference.  In that stretch of losing BOTH Boston and Brooklyn beat the Bucks… That is a scary thing since they will be the Bucks’ main concerns in this year’s postseason.  They did however win their last game 123-114 over the Minnesota Timberwolves… giving the Bucks their first win ATS in their last 5 tries.  In the win Giannis had 43 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 assists.  That is an amazing statline, that is why Giannis  is the MAN, and it is why the Bucks are COMPLETELY RELIANT on Giannis.  

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WAS: 16-21, 16-18-3 ATS, 17-18-2 O/U, 6-14 in road games.

MIL: 23-12, 18-15-2 ATS, 18-17 O/U, 15-3 in home games.

The Wizards are 20th in scoring with 111.9 points per game, 12th in rebounds with 43.6 per game, 8th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8, and 4th in blocked shots with 5.6.

The Bucks are 17th in scoring with 112.9 points per game, 1st in rebounds with 48.9 per game, 25th in AST/TO ratio with 1.6, and 5th in blocked shots with 5.5.

Our prediction for Sunday, January 1st is…. Bucks 121 - Wizards 119

Bet on the Wizards.  They do not have to win, but they could.  They have to either win or lose while covering the -6.5 spread.  Seeing as the Wizards are 4-1 ATS over their last 5 games and the Bucks are 0-4-1 ATS over their last 5 games… It is not crazy to simply put the points in your pockets and watch the Wizards finally make you some money.  Bet on the Wizards.

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The Wizards are 14-5 ATS after 2 straight games where they made 50% of their shots. The last 3 seasons.

The Bucks are 5 OVER and 1 UNDER as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points this season.

Wizards: SF Kyle Kuzma.  Kyle is a really good forward.  He has a reliable outside shot, a big body that can scoop some rebounds and a good amount of scoring aggression.  The Lakers badly over traded their roster when they moved him (and others) for Russell Westbrook.  Kyle is exactly the type of player LeBron needs right now.

Bucks: SG Grayson Allen.  We all remember the little ball of anger that is Grayson Allen kicking guys during games at Duke.  Whatever his personality issues are he has clearly carved out the starting SG spot for the Bucks.  He plays well off of Giannis and often hits big shots.  The reason to watch him is because of his defensive deficiencies that are indicative of a growing problem on the Bucks.  Giannis can not do it all… all the time…. Guys like Grayson will have to dig deep if this team expects to compete for Rings.

Wizards: Wes “when are we going to be fully healthy?” Unseld JR

Bucks: Mike “ Giannis got me a ring and job security” Budenholzer