NBA picks: Rockets vs. Bucks prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Sunday, Dec. 17
The Houston Rockets (13-9) will meet the Milwaukee Bucks (18-7) Sunday evening with both teams looking to continue their current winning runs. The Rockets have ripped off five straight wins while the Bucks have been on the right side of three straight results, including an easy win over the Pistons Saturday. This is the first meeting between these teams this season.
Jae’Sean Tate and Amen Thompson are questionable for the Rockets. The Bucks won’t release an official injury report until later in the day, but Khris Middleton is expected to play after sitting Saturday’s game. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard should be good after not playing heavy minutes but we’ll see how the Bucks manage their stars on the back-to-back set.
The Bucks are 7-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total coming in at 230. Milwaukee is -270 on the moneyline while Houston is +220.
Rockets vs. Bucks, 7 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Bucks -7
Houston has been one of the best teams against the number this season at 15-5-2 ATS but most of that has come at home. The Rockets are just 5-4-1 ATS as the road team. The Bucks are excellent on short rest and back-to-backs. Milwaukee is 2-1 ATS on no rest and 6-2 ATS as the team with the rest disadvantage. The Bucks also blew out the Pistons, giving their stars enough time to sit Saturday knowing there was a game Sunday.
The Bucks have covered the spread in four of their last six games, while the Rockets have covered five games in a row. This is a close call, but I’ll side with the home team especially since Antetokounmpo and Lillard are a little more fresh than a usual back-to-back.
Over/Under: Over 230
The Bucks are one of the best offenses in the league, averaging 124.2 points per game. Even with the Rockets sporting a solid defensive record, I like Milwaukee to keep pouring on the points at home. The Bucks have gone over their totals in the last three games, and seven of the last eight. Even with the Rockets consistently hitting the under, I’ll back Milwaukee to singlehandedly push this total over Sunday evening.
