Milwaukee Bucks (29-11) -7 (o/u 230.5) at Washington Wizards (17-25)

On Tuesday, the Bucks used a late 21-2 run to beat the hot Houston Rockets in Houston 116-109. The victory confirms once again that this Bucks team is for real. The fact is the Bucks are the league’s highest scoring team at 118 PPG along with shooting 47.8% from the field (4th best) and rebounding at 49.4 RPG (1st in the league). They can truly do it all. After outplaying James Harden on his own floor, Giannis Antetokounmpo looks like the league’s leading contender for MVP honors. He leads the team in scoring (26/.6 PPG), rebounds (12.8 RPG) and assists (6.0 APG). With some fine contributions across the board, the Bucks have won 11 of its last 13, including 5 of its last 6 on the road.
After a dismal start to the season, the Wizards continue to struggle, something that has been exacerbated by the recent loss of All-Star PG John Wall to injury. The team has lost 7 of its last 12 but attained a respectable 4-1 record at home during that stretch. It’s been a little over a week since Wall’s departure and now is the time the Wizard’s players should be settling into their new rotation spots. G Bradley Beal leads the team in scoring with 24.2 PPG and also takes over as the team’s leader in assists at 4.8 APG. It’s very likely he will assume PG duties, which means someone needs to step up as a secondary scorer. No one else currently averages over 14 PPG. The defense is the 2nd worst in the league, giving up 116.5 PPG.
Prediction: The Bucks are playing at such a high level, it’s hard to imagine the Wizards without Wall being able to stay close. With both teams playing at a fast pace, this game could turn into a track meet with the Bucks exposing that weak Wizards defense. Pick over 230.5 (score – Milwaukee 124-116)