Thunder Youth Movement Meets Veteran Bucks
Bucks vs Thunder Spreads, Matchup and More
Bucks vs Thunder spreads opened at Thunder -7.5 at home, total set at 225.5.
We’ve got a battle on our hands! These teams are led by the second and third NBA scoring leaders, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but unfortunately for Bucks and NBA fans, Giannis has been ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a calf injury.
The Bucks are still holding their spot near the top of the NBA East standings. As of Thursday, they are the second seed with a one-and-a-half-game lead over the third-seeded New York Knicks.
The Thunder are currently the third seed in the West, tied in losses with the second seed Minnesota Timberwolves and enough ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers to not worry about dropping.
The Thunder and their young core have been surprising everyone this season. They are top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency this season, and second in net rating. The Bucks, who will likely enter the NBA playoffs as a top seed, have not had as great of a season.
They will probably finish the season in the bottom half of defensive efficiency and are fifth in offensive efficiency, they are eighth in net rating.
Let’s take our Bucks vs Thunder spreads and see if we can find value in some NBA picks and parlays today.
Bucks vs Thunder 
Day/Time:
Records: Bucks (49-31)/Thunder (55-25)
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Streaming: NBATV, KSBI OKC, WMLW The M
No Giannis, No Problem?
Buck’s star Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a calf injury in the team’s win Tuesday against the league’s best Boston Celtics. Although the win was a huge statement, showing the Bucks’s ability to contend with the NBA odds on favorite to win the East, Giannis going down has Bucks fans holding their breath.
A back injury to their star in the first round of the playoffs last year derailed their NBA championship hopes, and they will need a healthy Giannis if they compete in a competitive Eastern Conference.
That being said, before Giannis’s injury in the Celtics game, the Bucks had lost four games in a row, three to tanking, non-playoff teams. In the first game in his absence, the Bucks played a great game against the Orlando Magic, winning 117-99.
Bobby Portis Jr. will need to step up during the Greek Freaks’ leave. Portis has averaged 22.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in six games without Giannis Antetokounmpo this NBA regular season, and that isn’t counting his 30-point outing against Orlando on Wednesday night.
Portis had been in a bit of a slump before the injury, going under on his points prop in nine of his last ten games. Now, with Giannis out, we expect oddsmakers to adjust, but his line of 19.5 points in the Orlando game was obliterated, and we could see him scoring big again on Friday.
Bobby Portis so far in April:
– 19.8 PPG
– 8.8 RPG
– 56/50/100 splits
– 63% true shootingAll that in 27 minutes/night 😳 pic.twitter.com/uCg4kjLeR7
— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) April 11, 2024
Healthy and Ready to Rock
The Oklahoma City Thunder are young, feisty, and have a clean NBA injury report. They’ve won three games in a row, and are trending in the right direction before the playoffs.
They went on a bit of skid while missing their secondary scorer, Jalen Williams, but haven’t lost since he returned from an ankle injury.
In his two NBA games back, Williams has started slow, only scoring 11 and 10 points. He has picked up his effort on the glass, however, crushing his season average of 4.1 rebounds per game with seven and six rebound games in his return.
Take a look at Williams’ props on Friday, we don’t expect him to get back to his 20-point scoring ways quite yet, but without Giannis gobbling up rebounds, he could hit his rebound prop over again.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: FIRST MATCHUP SET
Western Conference
⬆️ Denver: Claims 1st in the West, 1 game up on (2) Minnesota and (3) OKC
⬇️ Minnesota: Falls to 2nd, holding tiebreaker over (3) OKC (better conference record), 1 GB of (1) Denver
↔️ Oklahoma City: Remains 3rd via… pic.twitter.com/tqjuxkT3ZO
— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2024
Close Game, Or Blowout?
Bucks vs Thunder spreads opened at Thunder -7.5 at home, total set at 225.5. Without Giannis, it will be an uphill battle for the Bucks, but their win against the Magic on Wednesday showed they can beat good NBA teams without him.
The Bucks are 4-6 against the spread in their last ten games, and so are the Thunder. The Thunder are 25-14 ATS at home this season, and the Bucks are 16-22 on the road.
For NBA betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
