Eastern Conference teams enjoying strong starts face off on Friday evening. The Milwaukee Bucks host the New York Knicks at Fiserv Forum in prime time. Milwaukee is 3-0 this season, including a 2-0 mark at home. New York is 3-1 after a 134-131 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Quentin Grimes (foot) is out for the Knicks, with Khris Middleton (wrist), Pat Connaughton (calf), and Joe Ingles (knee) ruled out for the Bucks.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET in Milwaukee. Caesars Sportsbook lists Milwaukee as the 6.5-point favorite at home, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 224 in the latest Knicks vs. Bucks odds. Before making any Bucks vs. Knicks picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four seasons. The model enters Week 2 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 91-63 roll on all top-rated NBA picks that dates back to last season, returning more than $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Knicks vs. Bucks. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Bucks vs. Knicks:
Knicks vs. Bucks spread: Bucks -6.5Knicks vs. Bucks over/under: 224 pointsKnicks vs. Bucks money line: Bucks -250, Knicks +205NYK: The Knicks are 3-1 against the spread in 2022-23MIL: The Bucks are 3-0 against the spread in 2022-23Knicks vs. Bucks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Featured Game | Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks
Why the Knicks can cover
New York has been a defense-first team in previous seasons, but the Knicks are red-hot on offense to begin the 2022-23 campaign. The Knicks are scoring more than 1.16 points per possession, a top-five figure in the NBA and New York has an impressive 33.3% offensive rebound rate. Tom Thibodeau’s team is averaging 1.98 assists for every turnover, and the Knicks are in the top eight with 48.0% field goal shooting and 56.3% 2-point shooting.
New York is also averaging only 13.5 turnovers per game, with three players averaging at least 17 points per game. That includes newly acquired point guard Jalen Brunson, who is putting up 20.0 points and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. On defense, the Knicks are allowing 43.3% shooting from the field and 30.3% from 3-point range, and New York is averaging 6.3 blocked shots per game to begin the campaign.
Why the Bucks can cover
The Bucks are fantastic at home, posting a 29-14 record at Fiserv Forum over the last two regular seasons. Milwaukee is also playing at an elite level to begin the season, posting a 3-0 record and a +10.7 net rating. The Bucks are highly efficient from a shooting standpoint, making 55.4% of 2-point shots and 47.1% of field goal attempts overall. On the defensive side, Milwaukee is leading the NBA in overall performance, giving up only 98.3 points per 100 possessions.
The Bucks are No. 1 in the league in 2-point shooting allowed (44.8%), 3-point shooting allowed (31.8%) and field goal percentage allowed (40.5%), with Milwaukee dominating the defensive glass. The Bucks are securing more than 77% of missed shots from opponents, and no team is averaging more blocked shots (9.3 per game) than Milwaukee this season. Milwaukee is in the top five of the league in assists allowed (20.0 per game), and the Bucks have a brick wall at the rim on defense in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
How to make Bucks vs. Knicks picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 221 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time. See which side to back at SportsLine.
So who wins Knicks vs. Bucks? And which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
