The Los Angeles Clippers visit the Milwaukee Bucks on 12/6/19 at the Fiserv Center.

The Los Angeles Clippers hit the road and travel to the Fiserv Center on Friday night for a showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Clippers are the preseason NBA betting favorites to win the NBA title after their acquisition of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George last summer. The duo has led the Clippers to a 16-6 record so far and the team is starting to come together with nine wins in their last 10 games played. On the other hand, the Bucks are the favorites to win the East this season and after losing to the eventual champions Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, they are on a mission to claim the gold this year. The Bucks have won 13 straight and head to this contest with a record of 19-3, 2nd best in the league.

Starting To Come Together

The Los Angeles Clippers are starting to come together. The Clippers began the season with Paul George on the injured list and now that he’s healthy, the team has won nine out of their last 10 games to improve to 16-6 SU on the season, 2nd behind their cross-town rival Lakers in the Pacific Division standings.

Kawhi Leonard leads the Clippers with 25.0 points per game. The 2019 NBA Finals MVP is also contributing 7.9 rebounds, 5.3 steals, and 1.9 steals per game. Paul George is averaging 23.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while Lou Williams is putting up 21.2 points and a team-high 6.3 assists per game this season.

The Clippers rank 5th in the NBA in scoring at 115.5 points per game this season. Los Angeles has the 10th best scoring defense in the league at 107.8 points per game allowed. They are also 2nd in rebounding at 49.0 boards grabbed per contest and 20th in passing at 23.5 assists per game.

Red Hot Bucks

After losing to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks are on a mission for redemption. That mission is so good so far with Milwaukee having a 19-3 record which is best in the Eastern Conference and the Central Division as well. The Bucks head to this big game with 13 straight victories.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is Milwaukee’s, main man. The 2019 NBA MVP is averaging 31.0 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game this season. Khris Middleton is chipping in 17.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per outing while Eric Bledsoe leads the team in assists with 5.6 per game while also scoring 15.2 points per game.

The Bucks are the top-scoring team in the NBA at 121.1 points per game this season. They are 11th in the league in scoring defense at 108.2 points per game allowed. Milwaukee is the top rebounding team with an average of 51.8 boards hauled per outing. The Bucks are also averaging 25.6 assists per game, 8th overall this season.

Who Wins?

The Clippers are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games played. Los Angeles is 3-5 SU in their last eight road games played, and 12-4 SU in their last 16 games played against the Eastern Conference. The Bucks are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games played and Milwaukee is 9-0 SU in their last nine home games played this season. Head to head, the Clippers are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Bucks.

The Bucks have put together 10 straight wins but have done so against mediocre teams. Milwaukee has not lost since a road loss at Utah on November 8th and they are the NBA’s highest-scoring team this season. They also lead the league in field goal percentage and are tied with the Nuggets for the best defensive rating.

Kawhi Leonard had an off game against the Blazers, but you know he’s always ready for big games like this one. Paul George has scored 56 points in their last two games and Montrezl Harrell is coming off an 11-12 shooting night for the Clippers. Los Angeles has lost once in their last 10 games and they look to keep winning here.

No question that the Bucks are playing terrific basketball right now but when you look at the Clippers, the team is coming to its own as of late with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard looking in synch. Montrezl Harrell is having an impressive week as well. The Bucks beat up mediocre teams during this winning streak but they might be in for a surprise against a genuine contender like the Clippers. I expect a good game but with too many closers on their side, I have to go with the Clippers here.

Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers

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Other Bets to Make

Los Angeles is 4-2 ATS in their last six games played. The Clippers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games played on the road. Milwaukee is 3-1 ATS in their last four games played. The Bucks are 5-5 ATS in 10 home games played this season, 5-0 ATS in their last five December games, but 0-5 ATS in their last five games against the Western Conference.

The Clippers have outscored the Bucks by an average of 2.0 points per game in their last 10 meetings. Milwaukee has won 10 in a row but the names on that list don’t impress me at all. Don’t get me wrong, the Bucks are an elite team. The Clippers lost recently to the Spurs but during their 9-1 stretch, they beat teams like the Celtics, Rockets, and Mavericks. Los Angeles opened December with back to back 20-point wins. I like the Clippers here at plus four points.

Prediction: Clippers +4

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The total has gone under in 13 out of the last 22 games played by the Clippers. The over is 5-1 in Los Angeles’ last six games against the Central Division. The total has gone over in two out of the last three games played by the Bucks. Milwaukee has seen the total go over in six out of their 10 home games played this season. The over is also 9-4 in the Bucks’ last 13 games played against the Pacific Division. Head to head, the total has gone over in four out of the last five games between these two teams. The over is also 5-0 in the last five games between the Clippers and Bucks in Milwaukee.

These teams have combined to score an average of 251 points per game in their last three games played and they have combined for at least 240 points in four out of their last five meetings. These are two of the highest-scoring teams in the NBA with the Bucks as the NBA’s top-scoring squad. They have gone over in the last five meetings in Milwaukee and those games happened before Kawhi and PG13 came to L.A. With plenty of firepower on both sides, I expect a shootout here.

Prediction: Over 232

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