The New Orleans Pelicans will look to snap a nine-game winning streak on Wednesday evening when they square off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the red-hot Milwaukee Bucks. Some of the Pelicans' recent issues can be traced to injuries and, in this game, New Orleans will be without Zion Williamson (knee) and could be without Derrick Favors (personal). Milwaukee projects to be at full strength. Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. ET at Fiserv Forum. Sportsbooks list the Bucks as 13-point home favorites, holding steady from the opener, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 234.5 in the latest Bucks vs. Pelicans odds. Before you make any Pelicans vs. Bucks picks or NBA predictions, see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and last season it returned a whopping $4,280 on its top-rated NBA spread and money line picks. It's already returned almost $800 in profit on all its top-rated NBA picks during the 2019-20 season and entered Week 8 on a blistering 16-7 run on all top-rated NBA against the spread picks. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bucks vs. Pelicans. We can tell you that the model is leaning over, and has generated a strong against the spread pick that is hitting in well over 60 percent of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see it. Now, here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Pelicans vs. Bucks.
Bucks vs. Pelicans spread: Bucks -13
Bucks vs. Pelicans total over-under: 234.5 points
Bucks vs. Pelicans money line: Bucks -1117, Pelicans +695
Pelicans: Nine straight losses for New Orleans
Bucks: 15 straight victories for Milwaukee, 11-1 at home this season
The model has considered that the Pelicans are facing difficult circumstances but New Orleans does have a few strengths. Brandon Ingram has been tremendous on the offensive end this season, averaging 24.9 points and shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. He keys an intriguing offense that reaches loftier heights with most of the team's core healthy, including a dynamic long-range option in J.J. Redick and steady play at the point of attack from Jrue Holiday. The Pelicans rank in the top-10 in effective field goal percentage and, if they can simply get shots to the rim against the rangy Bucks defense, positive results could follow.
Just because New Orleans has a few edges, doesn't mean it will cover the Bucks vs. Pelicans spread on Wednesday.
The model is also aware that Milwaukee provides elite-level play on both ends of the floor. The Bucks rank in the top-three of the league in both overall offensive and defensive rating, using tantalizing efficiency to swarm opponents. Milwaukee does a fantastic job at limiting turnovers and, with Antetokounmpo as arguably the best play finisher in the league, everything revolves around him. The Bucks do have strong floor-spacing and an offensive system that is analytically friendly, providing for real optimism against what has been a very shaky Pelicans defense.
On the other end of the floor, Milwaukee is also fantastic, leading the NBA in defensive rebounding and defensive field goal percentage. If there is an area of relative weakness for the Bucks, it is that Milwaukee doesn't force a lot of turnovers. With that said, the Bucks are the best team in the NBA at prompting opponents to take tough shots and they close possessions by using their fantastic size to greatly limit second-chance opportunities.
So who wins Pelicans vs. Bucks? And which side of the spread hits in well over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pelicans vs. Bucks spread you need to jump on Wednesday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
