The Milwaukee Bucks have already clinched a postseason berth with 25 games remaining on their regular-season schedule – but they have a different milestone in mind as they visit Toronto on Tuesday. The Bucks can become the first team this season to reach the 50-win plateau, though it won’t be easy against the defending champions, who have won 17 of their last 18.
- Date/Time: February 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Scotiabank Arena
- TV Coverage: TNT, FSWI, TSN
- Sportsbook Odds: Bucks -2 | O/U 230.5
- Bucks vs Raptors Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Milwaukee opened as a 2-point road favorite, but the line has dipped to -1.5 in most spots. The total of 230.5 has also seen an ever so slight movement, rising to 231.
Milwaukee News & Notes
The Bucks still control their own destiny, as they have for the entire season. They enter Tuesday’s encounter seven games ahead of second-place Toronto in the conference and should cruise to the top seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. They also have a comfortable five-game edge over the Los Angeles Lakers for the league’s best record.
But while the Bucks can likely cruise to the finish line at this point, you can expect a top-flight effort Tuesday against a team they very well might face in this year’s Eastern Conference final. And the Bucks have already gained a measure of revenge for last year’s conference final loss to Toronto, having defeated the Raptors 115-105 in Milwaukee back on November 2.
Toronto News & Notes
It might be a pipe dream for the Raptors to overtake the Bucks and claim the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but they can at least put a scare into the top team in the NBA. These teams will face off three more times in the regular season, including a much-anticipated home-and-home series April 1 and 3.
And given Toronto’s current form, it’s not difficult to see the Raptors winning two or even all three of those meetings. The Raptors have been scorching-hot over the past six weeks, outscoring opponents by a league-best 11.8 points per game over that span. And they’re coming off a franchise-record 46-point evisceration of the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
Betting Pick: Raptors SU
Milwaukee’s good, sure – but have you seen how the Raptors have looked? There’s not a team in the league that should be favored in Toronto against the Raptors, so we’ll happily take the hosts SU for a slightly better payout than the ATS result.
- Milwaukee is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games.
- Toronto is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games.
- The OVER is 12-6 in Toronto’s last 18 games.
