Pelicans vs. Bucks Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 19 (Giannis Dominates Glass to Help Milwaukee Win)

Pelicans vs. Bucks Game Info

• Date: Monday, December 19, 2022
• Time: 8:00 PM ET
• Venue: Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans, Louisiana
• Coverage: BSNO and BSWI

Nine matchups are on the NBA's Monday, Dec. 19 schedule, which includes an inter-conference get-together between the New Orleans Pelicans (18-11) and Milwaukee Bucks (21-8).

The Pelicans are currently stuck in a rut, losing for the third straight game in the form of a 118-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Bucks were facing the Utah Jazz that same night, walking out of Fiserv Forum with the 123-97 victory behind Bobby Portis' game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Can the Pelicans end their losing ways in front of a rowdy New Orleans crowd? Or will the Bucks pick up their first road win in nearly two weeks?

Pelicans vs. Bucks Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MIL: (-108) | NO: (-108)
• Spread: MIL: -1 (-112) | NO: +1 (-108)
• Total: 228 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Bucks enter this contest as slight favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 8 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 229 points, which is the fourth-highest of Monday's projected totals.

Pelicans vs. Bucks Betting Trends

• The Bucks compiled a 39-42-1 record against the spread last season.
• The Pelicans went 27-32 as underdogs of 1 point or more last year.
• Last season, the combined scoring went over the point total 42 times in Bucks games.
• Last season, 33 of the Pelicans' 82 games went over the point total.

Pelicans vs. Bucks Prediction & Pick

The Bucks didn't need Giannis Antetokounmpo to win their last outing. The Milwaukee superstar was given the night off to rest his knee, but he should be good to go against a Pelicans team that he's dominated recently. In his last four games against New Orleans, Antetokounmpo averaged 36.3 points and 13.5 rebounds with .596/.412/.762 shooting splits.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans have left a lot to be desired during their three-game losing streak. They've experienced a minus-9.3 scoring margin (third-worst) while coughing the ball up 17.3 times per game (third-most) over that stretch. Don't expect either of those issues to change considering how Milwaukee has the third-best road scoring defense and just forced 14 turnovers in its last outing.

This game should still be a close one, but the Bucks are NBA Championship contenders and should put the Pelicans in their place.

Final Score Prediction: Bucks: 117 | Pelicans: 114

Pelicans vs. Bucks Best Bet

As mentioned before, Antetokounmpo rebounds extremely well against the Pelicans. He's recorded double-digit boards in each of the last four meetings, which includes a 16-rebound effort back in January.

Tonight, Antetokounmpo's rebound total is set at 10.5 and I'm sure he can surpass it — especially after doing so in three of his last four games against New Orleans. It also helps that the Pelicans have surrendered an average of 57.7 rebounds over their last three outings, ranking second-most in the NBA during that stretch.

It should be another productive night for the 'Greek Freak' at the glass, so don't be shy and hammer the over.

Bet: Giannis Antetokounmpo — Rebounds: Over 10.5 (-132)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.