Milwaukee Bucks vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 2/20/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Milwaukee Bucks vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Friday, February 20, 2026

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Gulf Coast Sports

Smoothie King Center is the location where the New Orleans Pelicans (15-41) will play the Milwaukee Bucks (23-30) on Friday.

The Bucks took the court against the Thunder and went home with a win by a final score of 110-93 in their last contest. Milwaukee ended the game having earned a 46.3% field goal percentage (44 out of 95) and converted 17 out of their 42 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Bucks knocked down 5 of 7 tries for a percentage of 71.4%. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 49 with 15 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 25 assists for the contest while forcing 16 turnovers and having 9 steals. Regarding the defense, Milwaukee allowed their opponent to shoot 37.3% from the field on 31 out of 83 shooting. Oklahoma City doled out 22 dimes and had 3 steals in this matchup. In addition, Oklahoma City pulled down 47 rebounds (14 offensive, 33 defensive) and got 6 blocked shots. Oklahoma City walked away from this one shooting 80.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 16 of their 20 shots. They also made 15 out of their 45 attempts from long range. When it comes to fouls, the Bucks walked away with 17 while the Thunder accumulated 8 fouls.

Ousmane Dieng is a player who came through for this game. He recorded 19 points on 7 out of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 36 mins played and also pulled down 11 rebounds. Dieng ended up going 58.3% from the floor and also recorded 6 dimes.

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Milwaukee steps onto the hardwood with a record of 23-30 this season. They lose possession via turnover 14.5 times per contest and as a team they commit 20.1 fouls per game. As a team, Milwaukee is pulling down 41.2 boards per contest and has accumulated 1,384 assists on the season, which is 20th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Bucks are shooting 39.2% from downtown (780 of 1,990) and 73.7% from the free throw line. They average 111.8 points per outing (27th in basketball) on 48.1% from the field.

On defense, the Bucks are forcing their opponents into 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.1 fouls. They are giving up 36.8% on 3-point shots and they are 14th in the league in points per game allowed (115.2). The Bucks defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 46.4% (2,161 of 4,661) and they concede 44.6 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 11th in basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,433 conceded on the campaign.

In their last game, the Pelicans took a defeat with a final score of 123-111 when they faced the Heat. In the matter of how they attacked the glass, New Orleans permitted Miami to get 56 in all (18 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 29.8% from three-point range by shooting 14 of 47 and ended up shooting 25 of 33 from the charity stripe (75.8%). The Pelicans allowed the Heat to knock down 42 of 102 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.2% in this game. In all, the Pelicans ended up going 42 for 92 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.7%. With respect to shooting from distance, New Orleans made 11 out of 31 tries (35.5%). They were able to convert 16 of those for a percentage of 84.2%. The Heat earned 15 personal fouls for this contest which got the Pelicans to the charity stripe for 19 shots. They turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. The Pelicans were able to collect 38 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 46 in this matchup.

Zion Williamson ended up being important for the Pelicans in the matchup. Williamson had 25 points in his 33 mins of playing time and accounted for 3 assists in this matchup. He converted 12 of 19 in the game for a field goal percentage of 63.2%, and totaled 4 rebounds.

New Orleans has a win-loss record of 15-41 so far this season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Pelicans are connecting on 46.2% from the field, which has them ranked 20th in basketball. New Orleans has tallied 6,417 pts this season (114.6 per game) and they average 43.6 boards per game. They are earning an assist 25.0 times per game (23rd in the NBA) and they are turning it over 14.1 times per game. The Pelicans are responsible for committing 19.9 fouls per contest and they hit 78.5% from the free throw line.

The Pelicans on the defensive side of the court are 26th in the NBA in PPG given up with 120.4. They are forcing 14.8 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 47.8% from the floor (23rd in the league). The New Orleans defense gives up 35.4% on shots from distance (817 of 2,308) and their opponents are converting on 78.1% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 28.2 dimes and 46.0 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 27th and 25th in the league.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Orleans

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