The Milwaukee Bucks had the best regular-season record in the NBA this year and begin their quest for a championship in Game 1 of their first-round series at the Fiserv Forum against the Detroit Pistons. The top-seeded Bucks enter this game Sportsbooks in seven of their last 10, while the Pistons have lost seven of their last 11. Milwaukee swept the four-game season set vs Detroit and is a 13-point favorite with the total Sportsbook at 218.5 points.
Standout Stats
- Very seldom have we seen Milwaukee go on an extended losing slide this season and that was true through its final 10 games of the season as the team went 7-3 SU and 5-4-1 ATS. Meanwhile, Detroit had a rough end to the season, sporting a record of 4-7 SU and 5-5-1 ATS through its final 11 contests. The Bucks went 4-0 SU and 3-0-1 ATS in the four meetings with the Pistons with an average winning margin of 14.75.
- These two teams have been on the opposite ends of the scoring spectrum through the latter stages of the regular season and because of this, they have been on opposite sides of the total as well. The total has gone UNDER in six of Detroit’s last 10 contests with an average combined score of 205.9, while the total has gone OVER in seven of Milwaukee’s last 10 with an average combined score of 238.2. The total went UNDER in three of the four regular-season meetings between these teams with an average combined score of 214.25.
- Scoring has come with ease for the Bucks in the last 10 games of the regular season as they have poured in 123.2 ppg to lead the NBA while posting the seventh-best shooting percentage and taking the fifth-most three-point attempts. On the defensive side of the ball, Milwaukee ranked 19th at 115 ppg allowed, but it has restricted opponents to a measly 43.4 percent shooting from the floor, which is the fourth-lowest percentage in the league.
- Detroit has struggled to put points on the board in the latter stages of the season, scoring just 102.7 ppg, which was the third-lowest average in the Association. Additionally, the Pistons have had the NBA’s worst shooting percentage from the floor over the last 10 games, knocking down just 42.7 percent of their attempts. However, as bad as the offense has been over that span, the defense has been the complete opposite with the Pistons holding their foes to just 103.2 ppg, the second-best mark in the league, and allowing the third-fewest shot attempts as well.
- I anticipate the Bucks will dominate the glass in this series and dictate the pace of play as they secured the most rebounds per game through their last 10 matches and the Pistons ranked 23rd.
My Best Bet for Detroit vs Milwaukee
UNDER 218.5
Detroit has been playing with a real slow pace of play through the latter stages of the season and that has resulted in it scoring the third-fewest ppg, but also allowing the second-fewest. Three of the four meetings between the Bucks and Pistons went UNDER 219.5 points, with only their last meeting going OVER at 220 points. I expect Milwaukee to dominate the game and stymie the Detroit offense, which will help the UNDER.
