Warriors at Bucks Under 232 (Early Start)
My first look on NBA Christmas Day games is to the Under. Concentration can be called into question on this day because players probably were with their families celebrating the holidays.
This matchup fits other handicapping elements to the Under in addition to having an early start time.
The Bucks had the best defensive rating in the NBA last season, holding foes to 102.5 points per 100 possessions. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are excellent defensive players in addition to being high scorers. Antetokounmpo was the Defensive Player of the Year last season. Now the Bucks added another upper tier defender, point guard Jrue Holiday. So it wouldn’t shock if the Bucks’ defense was even better this season.
Golden State was 28th in scoring last season, averaging 106.3 points a game. The Warriors were held to 99 points in a 26-point loss to the Nets in their opening game this past Tuesday. A key takeaway from that game was the Warriors’ lack of good ball movement. Not only are they without Klay Thompson, but Draymond Green is out, too.
Stephen Curry just doesn’t have enough offensive help to make the Warriors a high-scoring team.
(Here’s wishing everyone happy holidays. I am 104-68-2 on my NBA plays going back to last season and 137-96-5 on my college basketball plays the past three years and 17-11 on my bowl plays the past two seasons. I also am on a 12-5-1 NFL run looking to beat the NFL for the 24th time in 27 years. If you are interested in my sports service please email me at scriber26@gmail.com, or message me via Twitter.)
