Filip Tomic
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Central Division rivals Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls clash on ESPN tonight in what will be their 4th and final meeting this season. Will the Bucks clinch the series with another win, or can the Bulls level the score in front of the home crowd? I have compiled a Same Game Parlay to make things a bit more interesting, so continue reading below to see it.
Also, head over to our NBA picks page for predictions on the side and total for the rest of Friday’s games.
Let’s dive into my SGP bet now!
Bucks -4 (-108)
Damian Lillard 2+ made threes (-450)
Coby White to score 20+ points (-140)
DeMar DeRozan Over 0.5 made threes (-192)
Same Game Parlay odds: +482
Milwaukee Bucks -4 over Chicago Bulls (-108)
More often than not I won’t recommend backing a team that’s playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back, but that rule doesn’t apply here. Milwaukee just beat the Charlotte Hornets last night by double-digits; Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo played 34 and 33 minutes, respectively, so they should be relatively fresh. The Bucks have made a swift turnaround post-break, especially on the defensive end — where they are holding opponents to under 100 points on a nightly basis. All the Doc Rivers critics are slowly going away; this team is 3rd in defensive rating over the last 10 games, with only the Timberwolves and Heat being better.
Chicago just played a tough double-OT game against the Cavaliers at home and although they came out on top; that doesn’t change the fact that this team is very limited on the offensive end. Three-point shooting has been a particular lowlight, earlier this week they shot just 2-for-29 or 6.9% from downtown in the 105-95 loss to the Pistons. For them to hang around with the Bucks they would probably need to make at least double-digit 3s here. I’m not ready to trust them. Let’s go with the Bucks, who are 4-1 SU/ATS in their last 4 overall and have won 4 of the last 5 H2H.
Read our full Milwaukee Bucks vs Chicago Bulls predictions
Damian Lillard 2+ made threes (-450)
Lillard has made multiple 3s in all but one game played in February, so I’m fairly confident the streak continues tonight against the Bulls. Last night he went 3-for-6 against the Hornets, his 3rd straight game of at least 3 triples made. Chicago isn’t a top-tier team when it comes to defending the perimeter; opponents are making 39.4% of their attempts against the Bulls in the last 3 games. In his last 8 against the Bulls, Lillard has cleared this line 6 times and is averaging 25.3 points per game during that stretch. Expect the Bucks to look for him early and often in this one.
Coby White to score 20+ points (-140)
The best thing that could have happened to Coby White this season has been the injury to his teammate Zach LaVine. Since that has happened, White has completely taken over as the 2nd fiddle to DeMar DeRozan in the scoring department. Over his last 10 games he is scoring 20.5 points on average. The Bucks are one of his favorite opponents, in the 3 meetings against them he’s at 24 points per game and that’s mainly due to his matchup on the other side being Lillard, who isn’t exactly an elite defender. White’s scoring is a bit down in the 4 games since the break, but that’s the thing about averages — they will even themselves out after a couple of big scoring games. I think things will start moving in a positive direction for him with tonight’s game.
We also have a Mavericks vs Celtics Same Game Parlay for tonight’s other TV game
DeMar DeRozan Over 0.5 made threes (-192)
As a team the Bulls have been sub-par from the 3-point line — with the exception of DeRozan, who has actually improved this year. Only once in his career so far has he averaged more than the 2.8 triples per game he is putting up this season. He is making 0.9 per game (a career high) on 33% efficiency. DeRozan is coming off a 2-for-5 effort in the double-OT win over Cleveland, which was the 2nd time in 3 games that he has made multiple 3s. Normally we aren’t accustomed seeing him post numbers like this; DeRozan is one of those old-school forwards that dominate the scoring department from the mid range, but while he’s hot I think we should definitely take advantage of that. Last time he faced the Bucks he exploded for 42 points, making 3 of 6 from deep. It was the 2nd time in 4 meetings he went for 40+ points.
After a +1139 win earlier this week, lock in our NBA mega parlay for tonight’s action at +1467 odds
