Milwaukee Bucks vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/17/2024

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Venue:  T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV 

Where to Watch:  ABC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Bucks +5, Thunder -5; Over/Under:  214.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Bucks +5, Thunder -5; Over/Under:  214.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Bucks +4.5, Thunder -4.5; Over/Under:  214.5 points

Milwaukee Bucks:  14-11 (2nd place, Central Division)

Oklahoma City Thunder:  20-5 (1st place, Northwest Division)

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Milwaukee Bucks:  8-2 last 10

Oklahoma City Thunder:  9-1 last 10

The Bucks are entering this game with a 14-11 record overall this season and they are 4-7 in their road games this season, but this game will be at a neutral site. They are entering this game on a 3 game winning streak with wins coming against the Brooklyn Nets, the Orlando Magic, and the Atlanta Hawks. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team in points in that game with 32 while Damian Lillard was next on the team with 25 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team in rebounds with 14. They were 45.3% from the field, 31.1% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 113.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 111.9 PPG against them. The Bucks have an ATS record of 10-14-1 this season and their O/U record is 11-14.

The Thunder are entering this game with a 20-5 record overall this season and they are 9-3 in their road games this season, but this game will be at a neutral site. They are entering this game on a 5 game winning streak with wins coming against the Utah Jazz, the Toronto Raptors, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Houston Rockets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in points in that game with 32 while Isaiah Hartenstein was next on the team with 21 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Luguentz Dort led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 45% from the field, 36.7% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 103.5 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 16-9 this season and their O/U record is 11-14.

The current betting odds have the Thunder listed as a 5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Thunder have looked great in their games this season with their 20-5 record overall which has them at the top of the West with one of the best records in the entire NBA. This game is at a neutral site in Las Vegas, but the Thunder have still looked great when they haven't been at home, going 9-3 in their road games this season. Meanwhile, the Bucks have looked good in their games this season with their 14-11 record overall, but that record only has them in the middle of the East and they are also just 4-7 in their road games too. The Bucks do have some momentum on their side with 3 wins in a row now, but they struggled to pull away from both the Hawks and the Magic in the last 2 rounds of this NBA In-Season Tournament. The Thunder are coming off a crushing win over the Rockets though, and they crushed the Mavericks in the round before that too. The Thunder have more momentum on their side with 5 wins in a row, and they have looked a lot better in their wins too. They have been in control of their games in this tournament and they have been the better team all season too. The Bucks fell short in this tournament last season and they are going to fall short again with how good the Thunder have looked lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Thunder to cover the spread in this game. 

Bucks Thunder Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Tuesday, December 17, 2024 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Thunder 110 Bucks 98.

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Milwaukee Bucks: 16-26 ATS as an underdog. 8-14 ATS as an underdog  of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 17-23 ATS vs. poor rebounding teams - outrebounded by opponents by 3+ per game. 22-13 OVER when playing 4 or less games in 10 days. 11-6 1H OVER versus good defensive teams - allowing 108 points/game or less. 10-4 1H OVER versus teams who average 9 or more steals/game on the season.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 32-23 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 25-15 ATS after allowing 100 points or less. 41-25 ATS versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing 13 turnovers/game or less. 37-26 OVER in non-conference games. 33-23 OVER when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 

Milwaukee Bucks:  None.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  J. Williams (PF) Day To Day - Hamstring. A. Ducas Out - Back. A. Flagler Out - Finger. O. Dieng (SF) Out - Finger. C. Holmgren (PF) Out - Hip. N. Topić (PG) Out For Season - ACL.

"Listen, outside Milwaukee, I think a lot of people was, 'What's going on?' I don't think one person inside thought that at all. We just believed that it was going to click, it was going to happen — I would make a point of saying we assumed that. Now it is." - Doc Rivers on his team’s turnaround after their terrible start to the NBA season. 

“We have a competitive group of guys. When you put anything on the line, the guys will be amped up for that. I think both teams will bring their fastball on Tuesday.” - Mark Daigneault on playing in the NBA Cup Final on Tuesday.

PG Damian Lillard

SG Khris Middleton 

SF Taurean Prince

PF Giannis Antetokounmpo 

C Brook Lopez

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Cason Wallace

SF Luguentz Dort

PF Jalen Williams

C Isaiah Hartenstein

PPG: G. Antetokounmpo (32.7)

APG: D. Lillard (7.5)

Reb/G: G. Antetokounmpo (11.5)

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (30.3)

APG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (6.3)

Reb/G: I. Hartenstein (12.3)

Coaches:

Milwaukee Bucks: Doc Rivers (2nd season)

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (5th season)