Milwaukee Bucks vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction & Player Props (1/31): Will Lillard Light Up the Blazers in His Return to Portland?

Many games between one of the best teams in the NBA and one of the league’s worst teams wouldn’t get one of the Wednesday night spotlights on ESPN. But tonight’s late tip between the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers is a bit different (10:30 pm ET, ESPN).

After spending his first 11 NBA seasons with in Portland, Damian Lillard was traded to Milwaukee on September 27 of last year, shortly before the start of the preseason.

While Lillard and the Bucks (32-15, 11-10 away), who recently swapped out first-year head coach Adrian Griffin for veteran head man Doc Rivers, have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, the Trail Blazers (14-33, 8-13 home) have the second-worst record in the Western Conference.

However, the Blazers have played fairly well at home recently, and they will certainly be up for tonight’s game with Lillard back in the city where he made many memories from 2012 to 2023.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Portland Trail Blazers Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline. If you’re interested in trying them out, we recommend checking out our BetOnline review.

Spread

• Milwaukee Bucks -10.5 (-110)
• Portland Trail Blazers +10.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 237.5 (-115)
• Under 237.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Milwaukee Bucks -515
• Portland Trail Blazers +410

Last Five Games for the Milwaukee Bucks

• Denver Nuggets (1/29 – away): lost 113-107
• New Orleans Pelicans (1/27 – home): won 141-117
• Cleveland Cavaliers (1/26 – home): lost 112-100
• Cleveland Cavaliers (1/24 – home): won 126-116
• Detroit Pistons (1/22 – away): won 122-113

Last Five Games for the Portland Trail Blazers

• Philadelphia 76ers (1/29 – home): won 130-104
• Chicago Bulls (1/28 – home): lost 104-96
• San Antonio Spurs (1/26 – away): lost 116-100
• Houston Rockets (1/24 – away): won 137-131 (OT)
• Oklahoma City Thunder (1/13 – away): lost 111-109

Milwaukee Bucks vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction and Picks

Bucks vs Trail Blazers Betting Analysis and Prediction

On Monday night, the Blazers picked up their biggest win of the season in torching the Sixers, who were without both Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Philadelphia led by eight after holding the Blazers to just 20 first-quarter points, but Portland owned the final three quarters by a 110-76 margin.

Jerami Grant was Portland’s leading scorer with 27 points and bagged five boards, while Malcolm Brogdon, one of the pieces that the Blazers received in the Lillard trade, had 24 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. Also, Scoot Henderson (22 points, four assists) hit the 20-point mark for the fifth time in his rookie campaign.

For the season, the Blazers are 3-14 SU and 8-9 ATS when an underdog of more than 10 points, so those numbers aren’t encouraging for Portland’s hopes of pulling an upset tonight.

But when the Bucks defeated the Blazers 108-102 in Milwaukee on November 26, Portland covered the spread as a 12.5-point underdog, despite big games by Lillard (31 points) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (33 points, 16 rebounds, six assists).

Will they repeat that feat tonight? The Bucks are 10-1 SU when favored by more than ten points, but they are only 1-10 ATS in those games, covering only in a 146-114 win over the Detroit Pistons on December 16 (as a 16.5-point favorite).

Also, the Blazers are 6-4 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last eight home games, with SU wins over the Sixers, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns, four of the better teams in the NBA.

Prediction: Bucks to win & Trail Blazers to cover

Best Player Props for Bucks vs Trail Blazers

All picks listed below are courtesy of BetOnline and Bovada. Bet these plays at Bovada and get a 75% WELCOME BONUS if your first deposit is via cryptocurrency and/or bet them at BetOnline and get a 100% BONUS on your first cryptocurrency deposit.

Damian Lillard over 26.5 points (-120 at Bovada)

When the Bucks and Blazers met in Milwaukee, Lillard was only 7 of 21 from the field, including 4 of 12 from three, but making 13 of 14 free throws helped him hit the 30-point mark.

Given the occasion, you have to feel like Lillard will put up a lot of shots tonight, which bodes well for this play. He has taken 20 or more shots in 13 games this season, and he has scored 27 or more points in ten of those instances.

Jerami Grant over 20.5 points (-107 at BetOnline) & 24.5 points + rebounds (-120 at Bovada)

Grant has had gone over this number three times in his last four games, and the only one he didn’t, he was limited to just 10 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs due to back soreness.

• vs 76ers (1/29): 27 points (7 of 13 FG, 1 of 2 3PT, 12 of 13 FT), five rebounds
• vs Bulls (1/28): 24 points (5 of 12 FG, 1 of 6 3PT, 13 of 16 FT), seven rebounds
• at Rockets (1/24) 21 points (5 of 12 FG, 2 of 5 3PT, 9 of 11 FT), five rebounds, nine assists

Malcolm Brogdon over 27.5 points + rebounds + assists (-112 at BetOnline)

In the previous matchup with the Bucks, Brogdon had 18 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds, and he enters tonight’s game averaging 20.9 PPG, 7.0 APG, and 4.9 RPG over his last seven games.

Also, Brogdon has gone over 27.5 points + rebounds + assists six times in his last seven home games. The only one he didn’t go over that number, he fell just short with 16 points, six assists, and five rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets on January 17.

Where to Bet on the NBA

Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of NBA odds throughout the year.

In addition to being able to bet on 2024 NBA championship odds, you can make daily NBA picks on odds for every game all season long, including NBA playoffs odds.

Also, you can bet on the All-Star Game, NBA Draft odds, and the major awards like NBA MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, and more at most reputable sports betting sites.

There are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for NBA betting. Here are several books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:

• BetDSI (review)
• BetUS (review)
• Bookmaker (review)
• Bovada (review)
• MyBookie (review)
• Sportsbetting.ag (review)

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

Interested in Learning More About NBA Betting?

Looking to learn more about the ins and outs of betting on the NBA? Check out our NBA betting guide. Also, if you’d like to learn more about NBA player prop bets, check out our NBA player props guide.