Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks Picks and Odds Dec 23
Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks betting preview for Thursday, December 23. At the time of posting, Milwaukee has dropped to a 3-point road favorite in Dallas, with the total sitting at 209 points.
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| Thurs, Dec 23 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Milwaukee Bucks -3 at Dallas Mavericks |
| Total: | 209 Points |
| Game Time: | 8:40pm ET / 5:40pm PT |
| Arena: | American Airlines Center in Dallas |
| TV: | Bally Sports Southwest |
Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks Analysis
The Bucks go to Dallas today fresh off a 20 point win against Houston last night, and they will face a Mavericks team coming off a win against Minnesota on Tuesday night. Giannis and Portis are still out tonight for Milwaukee, and Doncic is still out for Dallas with Porzingis a game time decision.
The win for Dallas on Tuesday was without both Luka and Porzingis, but tonight’s contest should prove to be tougher as Holiday and Middleton will be playing. The Bucks are a 3-point favorite and the total has dropped to 209 points, so let’s find a Christmas Eve Eve gift from the sports books.
The back to back situation for Milwaukee isn’t as bad as it could be. The top minutes played for anyone on Milwaukee was 31 as the game was a blowout and the starters didn’t need to overexert themselves. This is true of most teams now, but for Milwaukee don’t pay too much attention to season long ATS or Totals trends. They’re starting Demarcus Cousins at center, that hasn’t happened all season, and I’m sure that’s not exactly the long term plan for the Bucks.
For betting purposes, I do like that Milwaukee has been in some higher scoring games whether it’s them putting up a lot of points or their opponents putting up points. One team has put up at least 112 or more in 10 straight games, and we saw a slump in offensive output in the Cleveland game, but Middleton and Giannis were out. Middleton returned to the lineup last night which gave them two of the big three active and we saw a big increase in points.
Dallas is getting used to life without Luka, and they’ve won three out of five without him. They are coming off two straight games against Minnesota where both games went over this 209.5 mark and those were without Doncic and Porzingis and even last game they were without Hardaway Jr and they still put up 114 behind a balanced attack.
I’m not interested in the spread in this one, but I am very excited to take the over. Teams might be missing a lot of starters, but we’re seeing some of these players who don’t normally get big minutes step in and be big contributors. Nwora has come out of nowhere and played 27, 42, 42, and 27 minutes the last four games averaging 18.5 points per game in those four. Demarcus Cousins had 18 points last night. For Dallas, in their last game they played 11 guys, and every player who attempted a shot attempt scored. They shot 48.8% from the field in that game, and went 19-23 from the free throw line.
My point is that when we look at some of these absences, don’t forget they get replaced by professional players, and in the case of Giannis and Portis, that takes away a huge part of their defense. Both teams will be playing a lot of players tonight, and they are more than capable of scoring. I’ll take the over 209, and it’s my favorite NBA play of the day.
OFFICIAL PLAY: Over 209 Points
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Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks Preview from GoldSheet
Milwaukee crushed Houston last night 126-106, despite being without both F Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis who are in quarantine. Buck HC Mike Budenholzer did regain the services of swingman Khris Middleton (18 ppg, 5.7 rpg) who had 23 pts. and 6 assists, complementing Jrue Holiday’s 24 pts. and 10 assists) against the Rockets. Dallas has played Milwaukee very tough, covering 4 straight & 8-2 L10 vs. points while winning 3 of last 4 SU, but obviously that record might mean little with Mav star Luka Doncic on the Covid list (on top of his ankle problem) along with starting G Tim Hardaway Jr., and C/PF Kristaps Porzingis possibly down with a toe injury.
Thursday’s NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Click here to download Thursday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of guests for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks clash, from a betting perspective.
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WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s NBA games, including this Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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