Milwaukee Bucks vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 1/9/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Milwaukee Bucks vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Friday, January 9, 2026

Location: crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: NBA TV

The Los Angeles Lakers (23-12) are hosting the Milwaukee Bucks (16-21) at crypto.com Arena on Friday.

The Bucks faced off with the Warriors and went home with a loss by a final score of 120-113 in their last game. Milwaukee walked away from the game having earned a 54.1% FG percentage (46 out of 85) and buried 14 out of their 32 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Bucks buried 7 of 12 attempts for a percentage of 58.3%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 36 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 29 dimes in the matchup while creating 10 turnovers and having 3 steals. Concerning defending, Milwaukee let their opponent shoot 49.4% from the floor on 44 of 89 shooting. Golden State recorded 31 dimes and had 6 steals for the contest. Furthermore, Golden State collected 41 boards (8 offensive, 33 defensive) and had 3 blocked shots. Golden State walked away from this one shooting 77.8% at the free throw line by making 14 of 18 attempts. They knocked down 18 of their 47 attempts from 3-point land. Regarding personal fouls, the Bucks left the arena with 15 while the Warriors totaled 15 personal fouls.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one guy who was a contributor in the game. He accounted for 34 points on 15 out of 22 shooting. He saw the court for 31 mins played and pulled down 10 boards. Antetokounmpo finished the game shooting 68.2% from the field and distributed 5 assists.

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Milwaukee will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 16-21 so far this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.8 times per game and as a team are committing 21.1 fouls per game. As a team, Milwaukee is grabbing 40.4 boards per contest and is sitting with 971 assists this season, which ranks 15th in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Bucks are shooting 39.6% on shots from distance (545 of 1,377) and 73.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 113.3 points per outing (25th in basketball) while going 48.6% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Bucks are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.0 personal fouls. They currently rank 18th in the league in giving up assists with 989 conceded this year. The Bucks are allowing a field goal percentage of 46.7% (1,511 of 3,235) and they relinquish 44.4 rebounds per contest as a unit. They concede 36.1% on 3-point shots while they are 14th in the NBA in PPG allowed (115.6).

For their last game, the Lakers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 107-91 against the Spurs. In reference to how they attacked the glass, Los Angeles allowed San Antonio to collect 50 in total (8 on the offensive side). They went 16.0% from beyond the arc by shooting 4 of 25 and finished the contest at 23 out of 28 at the charity stripe (82.1%). The Lakers permitted the Spurs to knock down 40 of 82 tries from the floor which had them shooting 48.8% for this contest. When the game finished, the Lakers shot 34 out of 86 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 39.5%. In regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, Los Angeles made 9 out of their 39 attempts (23.1%). They were able to bury 14 of them for a percentage of 63.6%. The Spurs were called for 20 personal fouls for this contest which got the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 22 attempts. They turned it over 17 times, while recording 9 steals for this contest. The Lakers were able to corral 35 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 45 in the game.

Luka Doncic ended up being a factor for the Lakers in this contest. He converted 13 out of 26 for the matchup giving him a rate of 50.0%, and added 10 rebounds. Doncic scored 38 points in his 38 minutes on the court and earned 10 assists in the game.

Los Angeles has a win-loss mark of 23-12 so far this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Lakers are shooting 49.8% from the field, which ranks them 2nd in the NBA. Los Angeles has scored 4,072 pts for the year (116.3 per contest) and they collect 41.3 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 24.9 times per game (25th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.5 times per game. The Lakers are responsible for committing 20.1 fouls every game and they connect on 77.8% from the charity stripe.

The Los Angeles defense concedes 36.8% on 3-point shots (472 of 1,281) and their opponents are connecting on 79.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 27.6 assists and 40.6 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 23rd and 3rd in the NBA. The Lakers defensively are ranked 16th in the league in points given up per game with 116.6. They are forcing their opponents into 15.2 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 48.6% from the field (26th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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