Odds and props ahead of tonight’s road trip opener.
Your Los Angeles Lakers kick off a six-game road trip against one of the best teams in the NBA, the 15-5 Milwaukee Bucks. L.A.’s All-Star frontcourt of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will have their work cut out for them fending off Bucks studs Giannis Antetokounmpo (an 2023 early Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner, and of course a perennial MVP candidate), Jrue Holiday, and a returning Khris Middleton.
The Bucks’ offense has occasionally appeared a bit stagnant and predictable thus far this season without Middleton (expected to be back tonight), but their defense has been unreal. Milwaukee is posting a league-best defensive rating of 107.2 through the team’s first 20 games.
It may be tough for L.A. to improve from its middling 8-12 record tonight at Fiserv Forum, but that doesn’t mean Lakers fans can’t still have fun.
So let’s take a look at some fun props ahead of this evening’s festivities, which kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (all numbers via The Action Network).
The Game’s Spread
The Bucks are 8.5 point favorites at most gambling sites, per The Action Network. Milwaukee loves pulverizing the opposition, and when the Lakers get down early, they can occasionally let a big lead dog them all game. Take the over (sorry Lakers).
Anthony Davis’s Combined Points + Rebounds
The Brow has been on a monumental tear of late, having scored 25+ point and pulled down 12+ rebounds for his last seven healthy games with the Lakers. His shot profile has morphed, and he has been looking to get most of his shots in the post of late. The change has put him firmly in the driver’s seat as the Lakers’ most essential player. Even if L.A. does lose by double digits, AD should still get his. A combined sum of points and rebounds at 34.5 feels doable for the eight-time All-Star.
Brook Lopez’s Total Stocks
The North Hollywood native took something of a “gap year” with his hometown Lakers — in between his lengthy stints with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, where he was an All-Star known for his offense, and now the Milwaukee Bucks, where the 34-year-old has evolved into an All-Defensive behemoth.