Milwaukee has toyed with its opposition so far this season, already winning 14 games by 10 or more points. The Bucks will need to win by that margin again in order to cover Monday’s game against the visiting Magic, Sportsbook as 11.5-point favorites. Orlando has won four in a row.
- Date/Time: December 9, 8 p.m. ET
- Arena: Fiserv Forum
- TV Coverage: NBATV
- Sportsbook Odds: Milwaukee -11.5 | O/U 221
- Magic vs Bucks Matchup Report
Orlando News & Notes
Wins over Golden State, Washington, Phoenix and Cleveland may have helped the Magic regain their confidence after a 7-11 start to the season, especially as they continue to play without star center Nikola Vucevic. But now we’ll find out how good Orlando really is.
This visit to Milwaukee begins a tough three-week stretch in which seven of the Magic’s next 11 opponents currently have winning records. Only one of Orlando’s first 11 wins came over an opponent that is above .500 at this point in the season, and that was a Sixers squad that was without Joel Embiid.
If the Magic are going to reverse their struggles on the road this year (Orlando is 3-7 on the highway, with two of those wins coming in Cleveland), they’ll have to figure out a way to generate more offense. Orlando has been held under 100 in seven of its 10 games in enemy territory, including Friday’s 93-87 win over the Cavaliers.
Milwaukee News & Notes
There’s been nothing fluky about the Bucks’ 20-3 start to the year or their 14-game winning streak, the franchise’s longest since 1973. Milwaukee’s 13.5-point scoring differential per game is 3.3 points higher than any other team in the Association, and the Bucks have already won 14 games by double digits. On Friday, the Bucks won by 24-plus points for the fourth straight time, routing the visiting Clippers 119-91 to gain a measure of revenge against LA’s Kawhi Leonard, who led the Raptors to an upset victory over Milwaukee in last year’s Eastern Conference final.
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a double-double in that game, his 21st of the season, and is now averaging 30.8 points per outing on the year. He and his teammates have been particularly lethal recently when playing with two days’ rest, covering 11 of their last 13 outings in that situation. Many of those have been high-scoring, with the Bucks going OVER the total in 24 of their last 33 following a couple of days off.
Betting Pick: Bucks -11.5
Expect the Magic to get a reality check here against a rolling and rested Bucks squad.
- Orlando is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games vs teams with winning records.
- The OVER is 24-9 in Milwaukee’s last 33 games when playing with two days’ rest.
- The UNDER is 5-0 in Orlando’s last five road games vs Milwaukee.
