The Milwaukee Bucks will look to wrap up a four-game road trip on a winning note this Saturday night in an inter-conference matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden. This contest is set to tip off at 10 p.m. (ET) and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.

The Bucks moved to 2-1 on this four-game jaunt with a 98-94 victory over Phoenix this past Thursday night as one-point favorites. This followed a win over Toronto and a loss to the Lakers in their previous two games. They are now 20-18 both straight up and against the spread overall and 10-9 SU (12-7 ATS) on the road this year. The total has stayed “under” in three of their last four games.

Portland is currently mired in a four-game losing streak, including a 93-88 loss to Cleveland as a six-point home favorite this past Wednesday night. It is 20-19 SU on the year and now 13-6 SU at home. Its record ATS is 18-19-2 overall and 9-8-2 at the Rose Garden. The total stayed “under” the 197.5-point line against the Cavaliers and has now stayed under in three of its last five games.

Bucks at Trail Blazers Betting Storylines

Milwaukee is a very typical middle-of-the-road team in the NBA with an offense that is ranked 16th in scoring with 96.3 points a game while giving up 97.4 points a game on defense, which is ranked 17th overall. It has struggled shooting the ball with a field goal percentage of just 43.2 percent and is also ranked near the bottom of the league from three-point range, converting on 33.7 percent of its attempts. The one area where the Bucks continue to do a great job is under the boards with 43.7 rebounds a game.

The Bucks only have three players scoring in double-figures, but both Monte Ellis and Brandon Jennings are averaging over 18 points a game. Mike Dunleavy rounds out the trio with 11.5 points a game off the bench, and Larry Sanders leads the team in rebounds with 8.6 a game. What makes Milwaukee a very tough out no matter where or who it plays is a deep bench and balanced effort on both ends of the court.

The Trail Blazers mirror the Bucks with an average of 96.9 points a game while giving up an average 99 points, which is ranked in the bottom third of the league. They boast five different players scoring 12 or more points a game with LaMarcus Aldridge leading the way with 20.6 points while pulling down 8.6 rebounds. Damian Lillard and Nicolas Batum have combined to score more than 35 points, while JJ Hickson remains a force under the boards with 11 rebounds a game.

Portland is a team that can be almost unbeatable at home when all this talent plays to its capabilities, but it has been plagued with inconsistency, especially over the past 10 games with a 5-5 record overall that includes a 2-2 record at the Rose Garden. Coming off a sloppy loss to Cleveland you would have to expect a much more concerted effort this Saturday night.

Bucks at Trail Blazers NBA Betting Odds and Trends

BetOnline has opened Portland as a four-point home favorite with the over/under line set at 196.5.

The Bucks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games but just 8-19 ATS in their last 27 games following a SU win. The total has stayed under in 10 of their last 14 games on the road.

The Trail Blazers are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven games following a SU loss but just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against the Central Division. The total has stayed under in four of their last five home games.

Head-to-head in this series, the favorite is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings and the total has gone over in seven of the last nine games in Portland. Milwaukee is 1-4 ATS in its last five trips to the Rose Garden. This will be the first meeting between the two this season.

Bucks at Trail Blazers Picks and Betting Predictions

The Bucks have been a capable road team this season, but the odds are stacked against them coming out of this game with a SU win. Look for Portland to bounce back with a much better effort on Saturday night to not only snap its current four-game skid but to post a solid win that covers the 4.5-point spread with relative ease.

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