Bucks vs. Lakers Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 2 (Milwaukee Defends its Home Court With Ease)

Bucks vs. Lakers Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 2, 2022
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: Fiserv Forum -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Coverage: ESPN, SportsNet LA, and BSWI

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Friday with 11 more games, including a battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers took down the Portland Trail Blazers by a score of 128-109 on Wednesday. LeBron James posted 31 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in the win.

Meanwhile, the Bucks defeated the New York Knicks, 109-103, on Wednesday to extend their winning streak to three games in a row. Giannis Antetokounmpo dazzled the Madison Square Garden crowd with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. Jrue Holiday chipped in with 22 points (9-of-19 shooting).

Bucks vs. Lakers Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MIL: (-335) | LAL: (+270)
• Spread: MIL: -8.5 (-108) | LAL: +8.5 (-112)
• Total: 230.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Bucks enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 230.5 points, which is above average compared to the rest of Friday's projected totals.

Bucks vs. Lakers Betting Trends

• The Bucks have covered the spread 11 times this season (11-6-1).
• This season, the Lakers are winless ATS when entering a game as an underdog of 8.5 points or more.
• This season, nine of the Bucks' games have gone over the point total out of 21 chances.
• Lakers games this season have hit the over on 11 of 21 set point totals (52.4%).
• Milwaukee has covered the spread in a higher percentage of its home games than away games. It has covered nine times in 13 opportunities at home, and it has covered two times in five opportunities in road games.
• Los Angeles has performed better against the spread at home (6-6-0) than away (3-6-0) this season.

Bucks vs. Lakers Prediction & Pick

This is a game many fans had circled on their calendars heading into the regular season. The Lakers' struggles to keep up with their opponents, especially on the road, has toned down the excitement quite a bit, though. LA's average scoring margin away from crypto.com Arena is -8.0 (No. 25 in NBA).

Milwaukee owns an 11-2 record at Fiserv Forum this year and has posted an average home scoring margin of +9.1 (No. 7 in NBA). The Bucks may not have to do too much on Friday, either, considering the Lakers turn the ball over 18.3 times per away game. That's the highest mark of any NBA squad.

The Lakers are 2-8 straight up in their last 10 games against the Bucks, so give me the home team.

Final Score Prediction: Bucks: 121 | Lakers: 106

Bucks vs. Lakers Best Bet

Not only are the Bucks 8-2 straight up in their last 10 games against the Lakers, but they are also 7-3 against the spread (ATS) during that span. Giannis has been the key to those victories as he averages a reliable 26.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game against Los Angeles in his career.

While the Lakers are starting to find their identity this season, running into a Bucks team that ranks first in defensive efficiency is not ideal. Milwaukee allows only 106.5 points per home game (T-No. 8 in NBA) and gives up the fewest points in the paint per game in the league (44.8). This one won't be close.

Bet: Milwaukee Bucks -8.5 (-108)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. 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.