Kawhi Leonard and Paul George did not play when the Clippers faced the Bucks one month ago in a 129-124 loss. Both superstars are ready to go Friday, but even though Los Angeles has won nine of its last 10, it’s hard to bet against Milwaukee at home.
- Date/Time: December 6, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Fiserv Forum
- TV Coverage: TSN 1/4, Fox Sports Prime Ticket, Fox Sports Wisconsin
- Sportsbook Odds: Milwaukee -5 | O/U 232.5
- Clippers vs Bucks Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Milwaukee opened as a 5-point favorite at home, their lowest spread in their last 13 games — a testament to how good a team Los Angeles is. With the Bucks the NBA’s highest-scoring team and the Clippers fifth in scoring, the total opened on the higher side at 232.5 points.
Los Angeles News & Notes
Following their 117-97 victory over Portland on Tuesday, the Clippers embark on a six-game East Coast road trip, their longest excursion of the season.
They couldn’t be traveling at a better time: they’ve won nine of their last 10 games, they’re developing more and more chemistry with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and they’re almost fully healthy, as Rodney McGruder is expected to return Friday and Landry Shamet at some point during the road trip.
The Clippers also start their road trip with their toughest test, as they face a Milwaukee team that not only has an NBA-best 19-3 record but is 9-1 at home and 42-9 at Fiserv Forum since the start of last season.
Los Angeles’ key to winning will be utilizing its depth. Beyond Leonard and George, the Clippers have been getting big contributions from Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams, meaning opponents essentially need to pick their poison.
Milwaukee News & Notes
Much like superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s playing style, the Bucks are like a freight train going downhill and steamrolling everything in their path.
Tied for the NBA’s best record at 19-3, they’ve won 13 straight games and 17 of their last 18. Milwaukee’s last three wins have been by an average of 36.3 points, and the Bucks sit first in the league in scoring, rebounding and rebounding differential, and second in opponent shooting percentage.
The Bucks have a lot of depth on the roster, and Giannis is on a shortlist of early MVP favorites for one of the NBA’s most dominant clubs. While it’s unlikely, however, that the Bucks will beat Los Angeles by 36 points, history does suggest that it will be a high-scoring game — the total has gone OVER in each Milwaukee’s last five home games against the Clippers.
Betting Pick: Bucks -5
The Clippers are playing phenomenal basketball, but the Bucks are just on another level right now. This won’t be a blowout by any means, but I think Milwaukee covers.
- The Clippers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games.
- The Clippers are 14-2 SU in their last 16 games vs the East.
- The OVER has hit in 4 of the last 5 games in this matchup.
