- Mar 2, 2006
- 4,794
- 120
- 0
ATS: 85-58-4 (+28.2)
OU: 51-45-1 (+1.3)
ML dogs: 2-5 (+1.1)
Phoenix is the third worst road team in the league, and while Milwaukee is not a great home team, this is a time where they need to step up big. Both these teams have struggled recently. The Bucks have lost their last four after beating the Heat at home, but three of their four teams are playoff contenders, and their last loss was a back to back after playing a running game against the Rockets. The Bucks seem to play up and down to their competition, and while the Suns are not great competition, with the release of Coach Skiles, this should be a spot where they are motivated to win.
The Bucks have had a really tough schedule recently, which I think makes their W/L column deceiving. They lost to Grizzlies on the end of a back to back, lost to the Clippers on the end of a back to back (and a let down game after beating the Celtics on the road), blew out the Nets, blew out the Heat, beat the Pacers, lost to the Pistons on the end of a back to back, lost to the Spurs, lost to the Rockets, lost to the Pacers on the end of a back to back. The theme is that they are just a horrible team on back to backs. Jennings has admitted that he has really struggled on back to backs. Their recent schedule has included a lot of really good teams, and a lot of back to backs.
Speaking of struggle, let?s move on to the Suns. They have lost eight of their last nine. They are struggling offensively, scoring only 81 and 80 in their last two games. The players have admitted that they feel demoralized and frustrated. The Bucks are one of the top eight defensive teams in efficiency, and I don?t see the Suns getting over 90 tonight. Teams playing as road dogs after scoring less than 85 in their two previous outings have only averaged 90.2 in their next game since 2009 season.
?The frustration is palpable when speaking to these guys; they have the talent to compete on most nights, but not enough to stray from the game plan for extended stretches. Gentry recognizes that this is a critical time for his team, and tried to convey to them that they?ll need to stick together in order to turn things around.
?We?re in a bad situation,? he continued. ?We?re in a bad spot right now. The thing about this league is, the only ones who can dig us out is ourselves.??
The Suns are 2-12 (-10.8 ppg) this year on the road, giving up an average of 106.6 ppg. On the first game of a road trip this year they are 0-7 SU (-10.9). They are in the bottom five in defensive efficiency. The Bucks are not a great offensive team, but they have averaged over 102 points in the three games this season after scoring less than 85 in their last outing. I think they should be able to get over 100 tonight, and cover this spread.
The Suns have owned the Bucks recently, beating them in 7 of the last 8 meetings. However, because these teams don?t play often, the dates go back to 2008, when these teams were quite different. Otherwise, these teams are comparably matched, but I give the edge to the Bucks because of their recent schedule, home court, player personnel, and the extra motivation to play well tonight. Hope for a big game from Jennings and Ellis.
Bucks -5.5
Lakers/Rockets OVER 221.5
(have it at 243 - probably won?t quite get there, but hopefully it is a fun one to watch!)
Good luck...
OU: 51-45-1 (+1.3)
ML dogs: 2-5 (+1.1)
Phoenix is the third worst road team in the league, and while Milwaukee is not a great home team, this is a time where they need to step up big. Both these teams have struggled recently. The Bucks have lost their last four after beating the Heat at home, but three of their four teams are playoff contenders, and their last loss was a back to back after playing a running game against the Rockets. The Bucks seem to play up and down to their competition, and while the Suns are not great competition, with the release of Coach Skiles, this should be a spot where they are motivated to win.
The Bucks have had a really tough schedule recently, which I think makes their W/L column deceiving. They lost to Grizzlies on the end of a back to back, lost to the Clippers on the end of a back to back (and a let down game after beating the Celtics on the road), blew out the Nets, blew out the Heat, beat the Pacers, lost to the Pistons on the end of a back to back, lost to the Spurs, lost to the Rockets, lost to the Pacers on the end of a back to back. The theme is that they are just a horrible team on back to backs. Jennings has admitted that he has really struggled on back to backs. Their recent schedule has included a lot of really good teams, and a lot of back to backs.
Speaking of struggle, let?s move on to the Suns. They have lost eight of their last nine. They are struggling offensively, scoring only 81 and 80 in their last two games. The players have admitted that they feel demoralized and frustrated. The Bucks are one of the top eight defensive teams in efficiency, and I don?t see the Suns getting over 90 tonight. Teams playing as road dogs after scoring less than 85 in their two previous outings have only averaged 90.2 in their next game since 2009 season.
?The frustration is palpable when speaking to these guys; they have the talent to compete on most nights, but not enough to stray from the game plan for extended stretches. Gentry recognizes that this is a critical time for his team, and tried to convey to them that they?ll need to stick together in order to turn things around.
?We?re in a bad situation,? he continued. ?We?re in a bad spot right now. The thing about this league is, the only ones who can dig us out is ourselves.??
The Suns are 2-12 (-10.8 ppg) this year on the road, giving up an average of 106.6 ppg. On the first game of a road trip this year they are 0-7 SU (-10.9). They are in the bottom five in defensive efficiency. The Bucks are not a great offensive team, but they have averaged over 102 points in the three games this season after scoring less than 85 in their last outing. I think they should be able to get over 100 tonight, and cover this spread.
The Suns have owned the Bucks recently, beating them in 7 of the last 8 meetings. However, because these teams don?t play often, the dates go back to 2008, when these teams were quite different. Otherwise, these teams are comparably matched, but I give the edge to the Bucks because of their recent schedule, home court, player personnel, and the extra motivation to play well tonight. Hope for a big game from Jennings and Ellis.
Bucks -5.5
Lakers/Rockets OVER 221.5
(have it at 243 - probably won?t quite get there, but hopefully it is a fun one to watch!)
Good luck...
