Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks Prediction, 12/27/2020 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks

Date: Sunday, December 27, 2020

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: MSG

Odds/Point Spread: Milwaukee (-11)

The Milwaukee Bucks travel to Madison Square Garden on Sunday where they'll meet the New York Knicks. New York opens this matchup as 11-point dogs. The O/U opens at 223.5.

The Milwaukee Bucks faced the Golden State Warriors and walked away with a win by a score of 138-99 in their last contest. Milwaukee wrapped up the contest with a 54.9% field goal percentage (50 of 91) and knocked down 20 of their 37 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Bucks made 18 of 26 tries for a rate of 69.2%. Concerning rebounding, they earned 60 with 11 of them being offensive. They also distributed 25 assists for the matchup while earning 6 steals and 4 rejections. In regard to the defense, Milwaukee let their opponent shoot 34.3% from the floor on 34 of 99 shooting. Golden State totaled 14 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. In addition, the Warriors collected 43 boards (10 offensive, 33 defensive) and earned 6 blocks. Golden State finished the game at 84.0% at the free throw line by burying 21 of 25 attempts. They also made 10 out of their 45 attempts from long range.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one guy who was a major contributor for this contest. He finished with 15 points on 4 of 14 shooting. He played for 26:42 mins played and also pulled down 13 rebounds. Antetokounmpo shot 28.6% from the field and dished out 4 dimes. An additional guy that had an impact in the game for the Bucks was Khris Middleton. He pulled down 4 boards and earned 5 dimes. He ended up shooting 66.7% from the floor for this contest by shooting 10-of-15 (31 points). When the game finished, Middleton was on the hardwood for 25:48 minutes.

Milwaukee heads into this game after finishing with a win-loss record of 56-17 last season. They had an average of 118.7 points per contest (1st in basketball) while connecting on 47.6% from the field. The Bucks shot 35.5% on shots from beyond the arc (1,007 of 2,840) and 74.2% from the charity stripe. As a group, Milwaukee grabbed 51.7 boards per contest and racked up 1,889 dimes over the course of last year, which was 6th in the league in terms of passing the ball. They lost possession by turning the ball over 15.1 times per contest and as a unit committed 19.6 fouls every game. On the defensive end, the Bucks were able to force 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 21.7 fouls. They conceded 35.5% from beyond the arc while they were 8th in the NBA in points per game allowed (108.6). The Bucks defense gave up a FG percentage of 41.4% (2,843 of 6,862) and they conceded 45.8 rebounds per game as a team. They were 19th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,764 relinquished last year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the New York Knicks took a loss by a score of 121-107 when they played the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks snagged 35 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 40 in this matchup. They also turned away 8 shots while getting 8 steals for the contest. The Pacers committed 24 personal fouls for this game which got the Knicks to the charity stripe for a total of 23 tries. They were able to make 17 of the free throws for a clip of 73.9%. Concerning three-point shots, New York converted 12 of their 28 attempts (42.9%). In all, the Knicks ended up going 39 for 85 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.9%. The Knicks allowed the Pacers to convert 46 of 94 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.9% in this matchup. They finished the game shooting 23.5% from distance by shooting 8 of 34 and finished the game at 21 out of 29 at the free throw line (72.4%). When discussing team rebounding, New York allowed Indiana to pull down 50 in total (10 on the offensive glass).

Julius Randle was important for the Knicks for this game. He knocked down 7 of 15 for the game giving him a rate of 46.7%, which had him finishing with 17 points. Randle totaled 9 boards in his 35:28 minutes of playing time and added 9 dimes in this matchup. Someone else who came through for New York was RJ Barrett. He was able to score 26 points in 34:22 mins on the court by going 11 out of 15 shooting in the game. Barrett walked away from this one going 73.3% from the field while also contributing 5 assists and 8 boards.

New York had a mark of 21-45 last season. New York totaled 6,983 pts over the course of last season (105.8 per contest) and they pulled in 46.5 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Knicks hit 44.7% from the floor, which was ranked 25th in the league. The Knicks were responsible for committing 22.2 personal fouls per game and they shot 69.4% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists was at 22.1 times per game (27th in the league) and they lost possession via turnover 14.3 times per contest. The Knicks on the defensive end were ranked 18th in the NBA in PPG given up with 112.3. They forced 13.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allowed teams to shoot 46.3% from the floor (17th in basketball). The New York defense surrendered 38.1% from downtown (877 of 2,303) and their opposition knocked down 74.9% of their foul shots. They surrendered 24.3 assists and 44.2 rebounds on a nightly basis, which was ranked 12th and 10th in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New York (+11)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here