An interesting season is ahead for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks as they look to stay in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
Damian Lillard is no longer with the franchise, but the Bucks added Myles Turner to partner with Giannis as the team tries to make the most of its options around the two-time league MVP.
Milwaukee opens the season as a home favorite against the Washington Wizards, who have some intriguing young pieces like Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly. The Wizards aren’t expected to be in the playoff hunt this season, and they’re underdogs on the road in this matchup.
The Bucks’ backcourt will be interesting to watch without Lillard, as Cole Anthony, Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins and others will look to carve out roles for Doc Rivers.
Milwaukee is a playoff team if Antetokounmpo stays healthy, but this roster is pretty thin when it comes to star power.
Let’s dive into the odds, prop bet targets and my prediction for this season opener on Wednesday night.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Moneyline
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Wizards Injury Report
Bucks Injury Report
Bucks Best NBA Prop Bet
During the 2024-25 season, Antetokounmpo only played one game against Washington where he cleared 20 minutes of playing time, and he promptly dropped 42 points on 15-of-24 shooting in that game.
A ton of responsibility is going to fall on the Bucks star on the offensive end, and he’s coming off a 2024-25 season where he averaged 30.4 points per game while shooting 60.1 percent from the field. Giannis averaged the most made field goals per game in the league in the 2024-25 season.
With Lillard gone, I expect the usage for Antetokounmpo to skyrocket this season, as he should be used as a playmaker and a scorer in just about every Milwaukee set. This line is a steal against a Washington team that was terrible defensively last season, ranking 28th in the NBA in defensive rating.
I am leaning towards taking the OVER in this matchup, as these teams combined for 238 points in the lone game where Antetokounmpo played over 20 minutes last season (they met three times total, Giannis played in just two).
Washington was 28th in the NBA in defensive rating and 30th in offensive rating a season ago, but it did push the tempo, ranking fourth in the NBA in pace. I’d expect this young team to get out and run this season, especially with Tre Johnson now in the fold.
Washington has some intriguing young pieces, but I can’t get behind it to cover on the road. That being said, Milwaukee is a risky bet to win this game by double digits, especially since the guard rotation is significantly worse than it was last season.
Still, the Bucks were No. 10 in offensive rating last season and ended up as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league – even though their attempts weren’t as high as teams like Cleveland and Boston.
I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Bucks look to run to make up for their lack of proven scoring options after Giannis, and they should be able to score fairly easily on a Washington team that is once again expected to be in the lottery next summer.
Pick: OVER 228.5 (-112 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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