The NBA invades Canada Wednesday night in an Eastern Conference showdown as the Milwaukee Bucks (23-13) take on the Toronto Raptors (16-21). The Raptors will host this one at Scotiabank Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
Milwaukee will be playing the second game of a back-to-back after beating the Wizards 123-113 on Tuesday. In the win, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a game-high 55 points, while also adding 10 rebounds and seven assists.
As for Toronto, they are trying to bounce back from a 122-114 road loss to the Indiana Pacers in their last contest. In the defeat, Gary Trent Jr had a game-high 32 points, while Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes combined for 49 points.
The Bucks open as the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -134 to win, while the Raptors’ moneyline sits at +114. Toronto sits as 2-point underdogs (-106) in this contest.
Milwaukee Needs To Improve Road Record
At 24-13, the Milwaukee Bucks currently sit in third in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games behind the Boston Celtics. For the Bucks to improve their standing, they need to start playing better on the road. While they are 16-4 at home, they are just 8-9 on the road.
They will get an opportunity to move back to .500 away from home Wednesday as they square off with a struggling Raptors team.
To this point, Milwaukee’s offense has been in the bottom half of the league. They currently rank 19th, averaging just 112.4 points per game (107.1 on the road).
Leading the offensive charge is perennial MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is averaging 32.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.
Aside from the “Greek Freak”, Jrue Holiday has been the most consistent producer, averaging 18.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game.
On the defensive end, the Bucks have been solid. They rank sixth in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing just 110.7 points per game (112.2 on the road).
Raptors Look To Stay Solid At Home
Currently 12th in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors would love to make some headway in the conference by taking down the Bucks. Luckily for Toronto, they have been a far superior team at home (11-8) than on the road (5-13). Still, as they have lost seven of their last 10, the Raptors will hope playing at home can get them back in the win column.
Offensively, Toronto has struggled this season, ranking 26th in the NBA in scoring, averaging just 111.4 points per game (112.5 at home). Toronto’s leading scorer has been Pascal Siakam, who is averaging 26.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per night.
O.G. Anunoby (18.6 points, 5.8 rebounds), Fred VanVleet (18.1 points, 6 assists), and Gary Trent Jr (17.9 points) have also been major contributors this season for Toronto.
Toronto has been much better on defense than offense. They rank 10th in scoring defense, allowing opponents 111.5 points per game.
Take The Raptors And The Points
Looking at the trends, Milwaukee is 2-5 both against the spread and straight up in their last seven games. Furthermore, they are 1-6 against the spread in their last seven road games.
As for Toronto, they are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six home games, but they are 5-0 both straight up and against the spread in their last five games against Milwaukee.
Obviously, Giannis Antetokounmpo has the ability to go off on any night like he did in his 55-point outburst on Tuesday. Still, it has been noticeable the impact that Khris Middleton’s injury (knee) has had on giving the Bucks a bonafide second star.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bucks win this game, but given their struggles and the Raptors’ home success, take Toronto and the two points (-106) Wednesday night.
