🏀 Milwaukee Bucks vs. San Antonio Spurs Preview and Prediction - 1/8/25 👀
Two supernatural big men lock horns in Milwaukee
The most exciting young star in the NBA travels to meet his predecessor when the Spurs meet the Bucks in Milwaukee tonight. Wemby will look to keep his stellar performances going while Giannis and the Bucks will look to build upon a dominant performance last time out in Toronto.
Any readers of the Owl (I like to imagine they are out there somewhere) will know that we faded the Bucks their last time out in Toronto, and boy did they prove us wrong. Milwaukee seemed to have turned a corner before the holidays, winning 6 out of 7, and quieting some of their critics in the process. The deer then proceeded to lose 4 out 5, with all 4 of those losses coming at the hands of bottom tier competition (Nets x2, Bulls, and Trailblazers). In their last outing, they flipped the script again in a dominant performance on both ends of the floor in Toronto. Khris Middleton is also working his way back into the starting lineup and he will also be available tonight, which is good news for a Bucks team that is looking to build some momentum with their aging core heading into the second half of the season. One positive that Milwaukee fans can take from this stretch: the Bucks rank 2nd overall in defensive efficiency over the last 10 games.
The Spurs are enjoying an optimistic glow that surrounds them and their young star in Victor Wembanyama, and for good reason. San Antonio is 18-18, a large improvement considering their abysmal record the last few years, and Wemby has been putting on show on a nightly basis, which has earned him praise from all corners of the Association, including most recently from the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Couple that with the show he put on for national viewers over the holidays, and the country now has a collective Wemby-fever at the moment. The addition of Chris Paul as a winning veteran presence has certainly helped as well, and his competitive attitude seems to be spreading to Wemby as well, as evidenced by his defiance in the face of Russell Westbrook the other night. I think we can all agree that is a good thing for basketball fans in the future. Despite all of the positivity surrounding this team, the Spurs come into this one having dropped their last two games to the Bulls and Nuggets.
The injury sheet is mostly clean for this one, a welcomed sight, but key winger and defensive presence Jeremy Sochan will be out for the Spurs due to lower back tightness. Milwaukee will have all of their aging stars for this one, a rare occasion.
The Owl predicts:
Milwaukee 113 San Antonio 104
Last season, we may have added 20 points to each team’s total in this one, but these are different times. Over the last 10 games, these are the 2nd and 3rd ranked defenses in overall efficiency, and both teams play at a much slower pace than they did previously. The Bucks likely because of Doc Rivers and an emphasis on the half court offense, and the Spurs because of the Chris Paul effect. While Wemby is giving every center in the league fits, Giannis is physically superior and always up for a challenge. We expect Giannis to throw his weight around and try to get Wemby in foul trouble. This should be an uglier than expected game with Milwaukee keeping the Spurs at a distance in the second half.
Consensus odds currently:
Mil -5.5 O/U 225