Bucks vs. Knicks prediction: NBA odds, picks, best bets for Saturday

The Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks will hook up twice in the next three days, including the opening game on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.

The Bucks have owned the Knicks over the last few seasons, winning eight straight meetings since November 2021. 

The most recent matchup came during the quarterfinals of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament in Milwaukee.

The Bucks routed the Knicks, 146-122, as 4.5-point favorites. Milwaukee shot lights out, hitting 60% of its field goal attempts and 23 three-pointers.

The Knicks are back at the Garden following a five-game road trip that was capped off by a 121-102 blowout of the Nets on Wednesday.

New York is playing with some momentum after beating Brooklyn and knocking off the Lakers in Los Angeles.

New York has spent most of December on the road, playing eight of its first nine games away from MSG.

The Knicks have posted a 7-3 home mark, which includes a 7-1 record since losing its first two MSG contests to Boston and Cleveland.

The one thing that has improved in the short term for the Knicks is their defense.

They have allowed 109 and 102 points in the last two games following a six-game span of yielding an average of 132 points per game.

Riding a six-game winning streak, Milwaukee is coming off a 118-114 victory over Orlando.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points in the victory, but the Bucks failed to cover the eight-point spread.

Julius Randle has played well recently for New York, averaging 27.4 points per game in his team’s last 10 contests, while guard Jalen Brunson is a shade behind at 27.2 points per game in the same stretch.

New York hasn’t figured out how to beat Milwaukee recently, but this is a good spot to back the Knicks in an early afternoon affair on Saturday.