Milwaukee Bucks vs Toronto Raptors Prediction: The Bucks look to improve against vulnerable Raptors

NBA keeps bringing us fantastic battles and this has been another brilliant season where we have seen records break in a hurry. LeBron keeps on closing in on the number one all-time scoring spot and his takeover of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not far away as the eternally threatening Forward continues to mesmerize basketball fans. Anyway, in another enthralling game, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to take on the Toronto Raptors.

The Bucks enter the picture after winning 132:119 against the Indiana Pacers behind an inspiring 35 points performance by Jrue Holiday. This win helped break the two-game losing streak and the Bucks have won six out of their last ten games. They have played without Giannis for the last three games and the athlete has now missed nine games this season. Still, the record of 28 wins and 16 losses shows that the Bucks have been an elite unit again. They began the season with nine wins but since then they have compiled 19 wins and 16 losses.

The team has played without their high-scoring Khris Middleton who has featured in just seven games. It means that the burden on Jrue Holiday has increased and the defenses have had a comparatively easier time, because of which the offensive rating has been bottom-ten(112.1). It is the defensive end that has held the fort where the Bucks have had a top-three defensive rating(110.9). The team has decent depth with Portis, Lopez, Allen, Connaughton, Nwora, and Hill.

The Raptors come into this game after a thrilling 123:121 Overtime win against the New York Knicks as Guard Fred Van Vleet scooped up 33 points. The Raps have won four out of their last five games but their record is under 50% wins with 24 losses and 20 wins. The Raptors’ defense isn’t like last season when it was in the top-ten and stalled the oppositions repeatedly. They didn’t make any wide changes in the offseason and the lack of depth has certainly shown.

Pascal Siakam is having an amazing year, increasing both his scoring and assists average. However, the overall offense has been hit as numbers for Fred and Gary Trent, latter also figuring in the trade rumours. Scottie Barnes has been posting decent numbers but his game hasn’t taken a leap as such. The bench remains undependable especially in the Guard and Wing fronts, so the starters have to stack up 40+ minutes continuously which doesn’t bode well in long term.

• Bucks: OUT: Serge Ibaka. Game-Time Decisions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joe Ingles, Khris Middleton;
• Raptors: OUT: Otto Porter Jr.

Giannis and Khris missed the last game for the Bucks and they are questionable for this one too so their availability is going to play a massive role, especially in regard to Giannis. While the Raptors have played much better lately, they are highly vulnerable against a tough defense like the Bucks. One advantage that they have over the Bucks is the lack of injuries but if Giannis is ready to go, their chances are going to take a big hit. Overall, I give the Bucks a 55% chance of winning without Giannis and a 65% chance of winning with him. I predict a scoring range of 230-240.