Milwaukee’s quest to reach the NBA Finals is off to a rough start – but things are about to get a lot easier as the Bucks host the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day. Milwaukee (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) dropped a heart-wrenching one-point decision to rival Boston in its season opener but is a comfortable favorite against the undermanned Warriors (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS).
- Date/Time: December 25, 2:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Fiserv Forum
- TV Coverage: ABC
- Sportsbook Odds: Bucks -7 | O/U 233.5 (Line History)
- Warriors vs Bucks Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
It didn’t take long for this line to shift in Milwaukee’s favor, with the Bucks going from -7 all the way to -9.5. The total has also moved, from 233.5 down to 232.
Golden State News & Notes
The Warriors faced a significant test right out of the gate – and they failed miserably, dropping a 125-99 decision in Brooklyn in a game where the final score actually flattered the visitors.
Playing without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Golden State shot just 37.4 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from three-point territory vs the Nets, who led by as many as 38 at one point.
Steph Curry managed to score 20 points but shot just 7-for-21 as he works his way back from an injury-ravaged 2019-20 season in which he played just five games.
The only member of the starting five to impress in Game 1 was rookie forward James Wiseman. The No. 2 pick in the NBA draft finished with 19 points and six rebounds in just 24 minutes of action.
Milwaukee News & Notes
The Bucks are still looking for their first win since last season after losing their three preseason games and following up that stretch with a narrow defeat to the Celtics.
Three-point defense was a major problem for Milwaukee in the season opener, as the Bucks allowed Boston to connect on 18 of their 40 attempts from long range to prevail despite shooting just 11 free throws.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Bucks, who fared well offensively and racked up 37 fourth-quarter points to nearly erase a 17-point deficit.
Milwaukee shot better than 51 percent from the floor and was led (as expected) by recent supermax signee Giannis Antetokounmpo, who erupted for a game-high 35 points and is a good bet to surpass his point prop again Friday afternoon.
Betting Pick: Bucks -9.5 (-110)
Milwaukee should be able to take full advantage of a new-look Golden State team that will need plenty of time to jell.
- Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 13 rebounds vs Golden State last season.
- Milwaukee is 1-5 ATS in its past 6 games.
- Curry shot 2-for-10 from beyond the arc in the season opener.
