The Milwaukee Bucks had the best record in the NBA at 53-12 going into the COVID-19 shutdown. However, they had lost four games out of five, including a 113-103 demolition in Los Angeles by the Lakers that was not nearly as close as the score indicated. The Lakers played a much more physical brand of ball than the Bucks were ready to handle, bunching the middle any time that Giannis Antetokounmpo thought about driving into the lane. The Bucks did not have a defensive answer to LeBron James, who wore down the Bucks almost through his own sheer will. Other teams took a similar approach after that game, also bunching the middle against Giannis, and he suffered an injury that kept him out of the lineup when the league paused. Can Milwaukee get things back up and running toward a title? Or did the Lakers show us their fatal flaw? Take a look at the Bucks’ sports NBA odds of winning a title, as well as winning the East…and their win/loss total, along with our thoughts about the team’s chances.
NBA News: Milwaukee Bucks Analysis Before the Restart
Opening Futures Odds
The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Celtics, the Heat, the Grizzlies, the Wizards, the Rockets, the Wizards again, the Mavericks and the Raptors. That’s not a bad schedule down the stretch. It starts with difficulty, as Boston and Miami could pose some problems, but after that the Bucks could easily win out. A 6-2 or 7-1 record down the stretch is definitely not beyond the realm of possibility.
The long hiatus will help Milwaukee in some ways but challenge the team in other ways. Giannis has had plenty of time to recover from the injuries that had put him out of the lineup. However, Giannis, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton all worked out to stay in shape but have said that, going into practice in Orlando, they did not have any access to a basketball court or rim. So game shape will be a question — and their shooting could take some time to come back around.
Milwaukee had a 6 ½-game lead over Toronto when the NBA halted the season, and these eight games will be added to the regular season totals before seeding will take place for the postseason. That would put them most likely against either Brooklyn or Orlando in the first round of the playoffs. They are currently sitting in seventh and eighth, and Washington could sneak in with that play-in. Given that their top seed would be hard to lose, they do have some cushion should they come out with some rust.
There is a question with the Bucks that these favorable odds may be failing to consider. Yes, the Bucks have all sorts of talent, and this may be the best Milwaukee team, at least on paper, in franchise history. However, they do not have experience when it comes to making a deep playoff run. They went out early last year, at least in comparison with their expectations, and the East isn’t the collection of deadbeats that it has been in years past. Boston, Toronto, Miami and Philadelphia can all present legitimate problems for Milwaukee. Then, assuming they can get past the rest of the East, they could very easily face those same Lakers in the Finals. If, somehow, LeBron & Company fail to come out of the West, there could be Denver or the Clippers waiting.
None of this is to say that the Bucks won’t win. However, you’re not getting much value if you bet on them to win it all. The questions that the Bucks have to answer are too numerous to justify betting on them at this price. If you think the Bucks deserve these low odds, take a look at that loss to the Lakers back on March 6, and then you’ll see how tough their road might be in a seven-game series with a contender.
