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Free NBA Picks Milwaukee Bucks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 10/20/2022

by Spencer Toth - 10/20/2022

Milwaukee Bucks daily betting predictions Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Bucks are opening their season on the road, coming up against the 76ers on Thursday night. Throughout the season, I will be breaking down the matchups, and offering the best bets available on the board for the Milwaukee Bucks. This will include moneylines, totals, spreads, and player props. To be clear, this is not a Milwaukee Bucks fan page, as I will be fading the team in question often. Rather, by following the Bucks and using in-depth knowledge, this column will result in a successful season betting on Bucks games, using all the options available to us.

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While it may become tempting to consistently bet on the Bucks, it all depends on the line. On the best teams in the league, there is often little money to be made on -500 moneylines, causing the spread to be the best bet in the blowouts. Just a fair warning, I love a good +14 spread, so don’t expect fear from the big spreads, but I will be eating the chalk when necessary. Fortunately for viewers, the Bucks have a close game scheduled for their opener, entering the game against the 76ers as a 4-point underdog. Let’s dive right into the season opener.

On Tuesday night, the 76ers opened the season on the road against the Celtics and lost 126-117 to the team in green. While it was a close game throughout, the Celtics held the lead for a majority of the game and thoroughly deserved the victory. James Harden put up 35 points, going 9/14 from the floor, and a perfect 12/12 from the charity stripe, but it was not enough. The Bucks will have to shut Harden down, while limiting Joel Embiid’s dominance, if they want to have a chance in their season opener. Fortunately, the Bucks have the tools to do so.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has the defensive chops to shut down the league's best big men, and he will have a fascinating matchup on his hands against Embiid. Whichever big man can win that duel will have a telling hand in the outcome of the game. At his best, Antetokounmpo is the most dominant player in the league, and can single-handedly carry his team on any given night.

The supporting cast surrounding Antetokounmpo is respectable, with Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Brook Lopez all competent NBA role players. However, with Middleton on the sidelines for the first few weeks, the edge in this game certainly shifts to Philadelphia. While Holiday is a capable defender, and will be matched up with Harden for most of the night, and with Antetokounmpo on Embiid, the Philly role players will have to step up.

The 76ers have the advantage just about everywhere on the court, as the backcourt of Harden and Maxey is certainly better than Holiday and Allen,. And assuming Antetokounmpo and Embiid cancel each other out, the 76ers have the advantage in the frontcourt, led by Tobias Harris. The depth advantage for the 76ers is apparent, and they will likely have a lead in bench points.

Unless Antetokounmpo puts up a monstrous performance and carries his team, the 76ers have the depth needed both on the bench and in the starting 5. They will have an ultimately comfortable win in their home opener, winning by a score in the range of 121-112. This would cause the 76ers to cover the 4-point spread and the total soaring over the 223.5 listed total. The 76ers showed they aren’t afraid to let it fly from deep, going 13/34 against Boston. If Philly puts up a solid amount of shots, and the Bucks can match their 7th fastest pace of play from last season, I expect the total to comfortably hit.

All picks use Doc’s Sports unit system: https://www.docsports.com/service/sports-betting-unit-system-money-management.html

Pick: 2-Unit Play: Philadelphia 76ers (-4)

Pick: 2-Unit Play: Bucks vs 76ers Over 223.5

ML Record: 0-0

Spread Record: 0-0

Total Record: 0-0

Player Props Record: 0-0

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