The Milwaukee Bucks (18-27) and Washington Wizards (11-34) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The game will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video.
The Bucks are 2.5-point favorites over the Wizards on the spread (Bucks -2.5), with the over/under set at 223.5 total points. Milwaukee is a -135 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Washington is +114 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Bucks vs. Wizards predictions and NBA picks for Thursday, January 29.
Bucks vs Wizards Prediction, Picks
- Bucks vs Wizards pick: Wizards +2.5 (-110)
My Wizards vs Bucks best bet is on Washington to cover the spread, with the best price currently available at DraftKings, but make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Bucks vs Wizards Odds
| Bucks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 223.5 -115o / -105u | -135 |
| Wizards Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 223.5 -115o / -105u | +114 |
Bucks vs Wizards NBA Preview
Not many people are going to be racing to the window to bet the Wizards overnight, but I do think this line is slightly off.
A lot of that has to do with the injury report. Alex Sarr is a big question mark after missing practice Wednesday with an illness.
There’s apparently a bug going around the Wizards’ locker room, and two Washington players have already missed a game this past week because of it. That said, Sarr was given the day off from practice, presumably to rest and recover.
These are young guys — illnesses can absolutely knock them out for a game, but they also tend to bounce back pretty quickly. I think he’s going to play, and if that’s the case, we should be getting some good closing line value here.
When you look at the tail of the tape with these lineups, I don’t think these two teams are all that different.
So, I’ll take the home team that I think is just as good — if not better — than the Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Bucks vs Wizards Predictions, Betting Analysis
I’m backing the Wizards +2.5 here, even though this line has started to tilt slightly toward the Milwaukee Bucks. For me it’s Wizards or nothing.
The one thing that worries me is motivation after the report from Shams Charania suggesting Giannis is essentially ripping the Band-Aid off and saying he wants out.
That’s always a little scary from a betting perspective, because you can get that super-motivated spot where a team responds with, “Oh, you don’t want to play with us? Watch this.” Washington can be the kind of team opponents take their frustrations out on.
But that’s also where you can start to get into classic sports betting overthinking.
At this number, I’m still comfortable backing the Wizards at home and taking the points.
Pick: Wizards +2.5 (-110)
Spread
My Wizards vs Bucks betting prediction is on Washington to cover the spread at +2.5.
Moneyline
I'm targeting the spread instead of the moneyline in this spot.
Over/Under
No play on the total.
Wizards vs Bucks Betting Trends
