Milwaukee at Oklahoma City
Time: 5 PM CT (ESPN)
Spread: MIL -1
Total: 235

Odds c/o 5dimes

OKC TEAM NOTES:

The Thunder are 30-18 and in second place in the Northwest Division.

?OKC is 16-7 at home this season and it is 12-4 against Eastern Conference teams. The Bucks are 13-8 on the road, but it has posted a 12-5 mark against the West.

Oklahoma City is a team built around its stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George, but free-agent acquisition Dennis Schroder has been huge for OKC. He gives the Thunder a third guard to alleviate some of the playmaking responsibilities from Westbrook, and he is having a tremendous season off the Thunder bench. Averaging 15.4 points per game in 29.2 minutes a night, he should be in every Sixth Man of the Year conversation.
Westbrook is having another tremendous season, too, of course. For the third consecutive season, he is averaging a triple-double with 21.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.6 assists per game to his credit. Naysayers are quick to deride Westbrook for his inefficiencies, but it stands to reason that without him OKC easily could be the worst team in the West.

Westbrook’s impact goes far beyond the “counting stats” given that he provides leadership and tutelage to the younger players on the roster, not to mention complementing Steven Adams well as a 1-5 combo. Adams averages 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, and while both those figures could be deflated from playing with Westbrook, it is just as easy to argue that he fits best with the enigmatic personality that Russ can be at times.

MIL TEAM NOTES: 

The Milwaukee Bucks have won six straight to improve to 35-12 on the season. It holds a 3.5 game lead in the Central Division over the Indiana Pacers. Most recently, it defeated the Charlotte Hornets 99-108, and it has held five of its past six opponents under 108 points.

The Bucks have a top-2 or 3 to rival any team in the East. Giannis Antetokounmpo is turning in an MVP-caliber season with his 26.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.39 steals and 1.45 blocks per game. His PER leads the Bucks at 29.5. Khris Middleton is quietly having another superb season as the No. 2 scorer. Middleton averages 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.

Eric Bledsoe has fit in well since becoming a Buck. He joins Middleton in the backcourt as the No. 3 scorer, good for 15.8 points per game. 2017 Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon is steady and consistent. He has averaged 15.7 points and 1.00 blocks/steals per game and is one of the team’s best defenders. The Bucks are the league’s top rebounding team at 49.0 boards per game, and it has the No. 7 defense in the league in allowing 107.4 per game. The Bucks also possess the No. 2 offense, averaging 117.4 points per game. Its positive 10-point differential is best in the East.

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