New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks Odds, Preview, and Prediction
Knicks vs. Bucks Odds
| Knicks Odds | +4 |
| Bucks Odds | -4 |
| Over/Under | 217 |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 5 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
On Friday evening, the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks will battle at the Fiserv Forum. The Knicks enter play tonight having lost back-to-back contests for the first time on the new campaign. After securing an NBA Championship this past summer, Milwaukee has experienced a lethargic beginning to the new season, winning only four of their first eight games. Oddsmakers anticipate a tightly-contested affair in this one, pricing Milwaukee as four point home favorites on the spread.
Let’s take a closer look at Knicks vs. Bucks odds, along with NBA betting tips for tonight’s matchup.
New York Knicks (+4)
The Knicks have defeated the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, and New Orleans Pelicans this season. Yet, the strength of their victories is offset somewhat by the fact that they have lost to sub-par teams such as the Magic, Toronto Raptors, and Indiana Pacers.
New York unquestionably has one of the most talented rosters in the NBA. New York is 11-deep with quality talent now that Nerlens Noel has returned to the lineup. Julius Randle has been solid through the first eight games of the season, averaging 20.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists—though his 41.5 percent mark from the floor is in need of improvement. R.J. Barrett is quickly emerging as one of the most dynamic two-way players in the NBA, posting 19.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while wreaking havoc on both ends of the floor. New additions Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker have been welcome additions to an offense that was highly inefficient last year. The bench is replete with solid contributors, with Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, and Nerlens Noel forming arguably the best second unit in the NBA.
To many people’s surprise, the Knicks have the third-best offensive efficiency in the league this season, scoring 112.2 points per 100 possessions. Yet, the increase in offensive production brought on by the additions of Fournier and Walker has hurt their defensive efficiency tremendously. Adding Noel back into the fold is likely to help this unit, but it is unlikely that this unit will approach their fourth-ranked defensive efficiency from a season ago.
Milwaukee Bucks (-4)
On opening night, the Bucks easily handled the Brooklyn Nets by 23 points with their full roster suiting up. Since then, Milwaukee has rotated resting some of their best players, and it has consequently hurt their performance in the win column. The Bucks uncharacteristically lost by 42 points to the Miami Heat, and experienced a three-game losing streak against the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, and Utah Jazz.
Tonight, Milwaukee will be without Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Donte DiVincenzo. Jrue Holiday is listed as “Probable,” but it is worth monitoring his status hourly as tip-off approaches, considering that there have been numerous instances of players being listed as “Probable,” only to be ruled out in subsequent hours. The absence of Middleton is a huge loss for this offense. Middleton is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 20.0 points per night. Still, Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the game’s premier talents—making Milwaukee a threat to win any night that he is on the floor.
Nevertheless, this team is mediocre when they do not have their full complement of stars on the floor. The Bucks rank only 12th in Net Rating through eight games. Milwaukee is 13th in offensive efficiency and 15th in defensive efficiency. One of their biggest issues has been a lack of ball movement, as they rank 20th in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Knicks vs. Bucks Picks
Contrary to public perception on the market, the Knicks are no longer a defensive fortress capable of making life difficult for their opponents on that end of the floor—at least not right now. Rather, New York has morphed into a team that excels offensively and tries to do just enough defensively to win games. Milwaukee is playing at the sixth-quickest pace in the NBA through eight games this year and has been mediocre defensively. Bettors should expect plenty of points in this matchup. Take the over.
PICKS: Over 217 (-110)
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