Milwaukee Bucks vs Houston Rockets Prediction: Rockets won’t stop Giannis and his team

Milwaukee recovered from a disappointing preseason and picked up their first regular-season win. Now the Bucks will have a chance to build on their success as they face one of the Western Conference underdogs, Houston, at home. Is everything so obvious in this matchup?

The Bucks start the season without Khris Middleton, Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles, and the absence of the first two of those guys hurts the team's offensive potential. Mike Budenholzer has redistributed playing time in favor of Wesley Matthews and Jordan Nwora, and we can't expect them to be very productive. All hope is that Giannis Adetokunbo hasn't overworked his summer playing for the national team, and he should be the one to pull the team offensively. Jrue Holiday opened up well last season, while Grayson Allen was the club's leading scorer right off the bat. The question is another: Will the leaders' efforts be enough to keep them at the top of the Eastern Conference?

The win over Philadelphia in the first game of the regular season gave reason for optimism. Mike Budenholzer's team defended well against Joel Embiid, but there were plenty of problems on offense. Of the Bucks' starting five, only Giannis Adetokunbo and Jevon Carter made more than 50 percent of their shots off the bench, and Carter's contribution was obviously much less significant. Thanks to Lopez, Matthews and Nwora, Milwaukee as a whole shot well from three and the Bucks' defense at the arc was a key factor. The result was 88-90 in favor of Milwaukee.

The Rockets' focus on youth development before the start of the season was evident, but the coach had already surprised at the start of the regular season. In the game against Atlanta, Bruno Fernando suddenly played in the starting five even though Alperen Sengun was initially expected to be there. The Turkish big man is known for his witty assists, but he lacks size. That could be the reason why Stephen Silas likes Fernando more than once. Newcomer Jabari Smith, Jr. was given a bigger role in the attack, as well as a kind of carte blanche was given to Jalen Green, who has become much more stable since the end of last season. Tari Eason faded after a good preseason, but Kenyon Martin, who had recently asked to be traded, started to play more. Only Jae'Sean Tate is on the injured reserve list and the Rockets have enough players at his position.

Stephen Silas's team lost both regular season games. After a 10-point loss to Atlanta, Houston fell short against Memphis, 122-129. The Rockets made over 45% of their three-pointers, but poor defense negated the effort. The Rockets lost a lot of faceoffs and their fast-break defense left a lot to be desired as well. Jalen Green had a good game with 33 points and Alperen Sengun made 9 of 13 shots from the field, second best in the team.

The Bucks have lost four of their last five games. Based on that trend, an overtime win for Houston would be an interesting option. You can bet on it for 8.00 at 1xbet.

Houston conceded over 110 points in four of the last 5 games, so it is worth betting on Milwaukee’s Individual Total Over 121.5 points for 1.94 at 1xbet.

Milwaukee defended well against Philadelphia, and to cope with the young and unstable Houston will be even easier. The visitors simply have no one to hold Giannis, so the upcoming game should be a benefit for the Greek superstar. The Rockets won't be able to fix their defensive woes anytime soon, even though they have versatile players like Eric Gordon and Jabari Smith. If the Bucks make three-pointers as well, the game may be close to a blowout. Here are the betting options for you to consider:

• H1 (-11.5) for 1.755;
• TO (230.5) for 2.00;
• Giannis Adetokunbo TO (30.5) for 1.90.

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