Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls meet at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The Milwaukee Bucks visit the New York Knicks for a matinee matchup to begin a jam-packed day of NBA action. Milwaukee is on a six-game winning streak, improving to 21-7 overall this season. New York is 16-11 overall and 7-3 at Madison Square Garden. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Jericho Sims (ankle) are out for New York. Jae Crowder (adductor) is out for Milwaukee.
For this 12:30 p.m. ET tip, SportsLine consensus lists Milwaukee as the 2-point favorite. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 243 in the latest Bucks vs. Knicks odds. Before making any Knicks vs. Bucks picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 9 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 101-52 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Knicks vs. Bucks and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Bucks vs. Knicks:
- Bucks vs. Knicks spread: Bucks -2
- Bucks vs. Knicks over/under: 243.5 points
- Bucks vs. Knicks money line: Bucks -130, Knicks +109
- Milwaukee: The Bucks are 5-5 against the spread in road games
- New York: The Knicks are 5-4-1 against the spread in home games
- Bucks vs. Knicks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Bucks can cover
Milwaukee is led by one of the league's best duos in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo is a two-time NBA MVP, and he is excelling in December. He is averaging 32.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game this month, and Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 60.3% from the field this season. Lillard is averaging 34.0 points per game on 52.4% 3-point shooting over the last four games, and he is generating 26.2 points and 7.0 assists per contest in 2023-24.
With that pairing leading the way, the Bucks are scoring 120.2 points per 100 possessions, ranking in the top three of the NBA. Milwaukee is also in the top three in field goal percentage (49.8%), 2-point percentage (58.5%) and free throw creation (26.9 attempts per game). On the defensive end, the Bucks are in the top 10 of the league in 3-point defense (34.9%) and free throw prevention (22.0 attempts per game). See which team to pick here.
Why the Knicks can cover
New York has the benefit of playing this game at Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks have two standout players keying the team. Julius Randle is on a 12-game streak of scoring at least 20 points, and he is averaging 27.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field in that span. Jalen Brunson is averaging 27.0 points and 6.7 assists per game in the last 16 outings, and the Knicks have a top-10 offense in scoring more than 1.17 points per possession.
New York is the best offensive rebounding team in the NBA, securing 33.6% of missed shots and averaging 16.4 second-chance points per game. The Knicks are also in the top five of the league in 3-point accuracy and turnovers (13.0 per game), and New York brings standout qualities on defense. The Knicks are in the top eight of the NBA in defensive rebound rate, second-chance points allowed, free throw attempts allowed and points allowed in the paint this season. See which team to pick here.
How to make Bucks vs. Knicks picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 234 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Knicks vs. Bucks, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 101-52 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
