Houston Rockets vs Milwaukee Bucks Prediction, 12/17/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Houston Rockets vs Milwaukee Bucks

Date: Sunday, December 17, 2023

Location: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI

TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Bucks (17-7) will play the Houston Rockets (13-9) at Fiserv Forum on Sunday.

The Rockets faced off with the Grizzlies and went home with a win by a final score of 103-96 in their last game. Houston wrapped up the game with a 36.4% FG percentage (32 out of 88) and knocked down 11 of their 29 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Rockets made 28 of their 32 tries for a rate of 87.5%. With respect to hauling in boards, they earned 51 with 15 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 18 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 17 turnovers and earning 10 steals. When talking about the defense, Houston allowed the other team to go 40.2% from the floor on 37 out of 92 shooting. Memphis recorded 19 assists and had 4 steals in the game. In addition, Memphis snagged 48 boards (13 offensive, 35 defensive) and earned 10 blocks. Memphis ended up shooting 73.3% when shooting free throws by converting 11 of their 15 shots. They also buried 11 of their 40 tries from downtown. In the matter of personal fouls, the Rockets finished with 19 and the Grizzlies racked up 24 personal fouls.

Dillon Brooks is someone who was a major contributor for the game. Brooks finished 50.0% from the field and also dished out 1 assist. He played 40 minutes played and also collected 7 boards. He was able to score 26 points on 10 of 20 shooting.

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Houston will play this game with a mark of 13-9 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 109.5 points per game (27th in basketball) while hitting 45.7% from the floor. The Rockets are connecting on 36.1% from downtown (273 of 757) and 76.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Houston is pulling in 46.1 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 556 dimes this year, which ranks 29th in the league in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 13.3 times per game and as a group they commit 21.9 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Rockets are forcing 12.7 turnovers every game while drawing 19.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 31.2% from beyond the arc and they rank 1st in basketball in PPG allowed (105.1). The Rockets defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.5% (826 of 1,898) and they surrender 44.0 boards per game as a unit. They are 1st in basketball in allowing assists with 499 surrendered so far this year.

In their last game, the Bucks took home the win by a final score of 140-126 when they faced the Pacers. In reference to rebounds, Milwaukee allowed Indiana to grab 45 in total (16 offensive). They finished shooting 30.6% from distance by connecting on 11 out of 36 and finished the game at 25 out of 32 from the charity stripe (78.1%). The Bucks allowed the Pacers to knock down 45 of their 100 tries from the floor which had them at 45.0% in this contest. When the game finished, the Bucks went 48 for 89 from the field which had them shooting 53.9%. With respect to shooting from distance, Milwaukee buried 7 out of 27 attempts (25.9%). They were able to knock down 37 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 77.1%. The Pacers earned 32 fouls for the game which took the Bucks to the free throw line for a total of 48 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 15 times, while recording 8 steals for this contest. The Bucks were able to pull down 31 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 43 in this contest.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was important for the Bucks in this matchup. He buried 20 of 28 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 71.4%, and tallied 14 rebounds. Antetokounmpo scored 64 points in his 37 mins on the court and had 3 dimes for the contest.

Milwaukee has a record of 17-7 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Bucks are shooting 50.0% from the field, which ranks them 2nd in the league. Milwaukee has tallied 2,960 points for the campaign (123.3 per contest) and they pull in 43.8 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 25.5 times per game (20th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.7 times per contest. The Bucks are committing 20.0 fouls per contest and they hit 76.9% from the charity stripe.

The Bucks on the defensive end are ranked 24th in the league in PPG surrendered with 119.5. They are able to force 13.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.7% from the floor (15th in the league). The Milwaukee defense concedes 35.8% on three-point shots (304 of 850) and their opponents are converting on 82.1% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 26.7 dimes and 44.6 total boards per game, which is 17th and 22nd in basketball.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston

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