Oklahoma vs Milwaukee Prediction 4 February 2025

🔊 Will the teams delight fans of "high-scoring" basketball? In the NBA regular season, Oklahoma will host Milwaukee on their court. Despite their phenomenal defense, the hosts often fall into open attacking basketball. For the "Bucks," such a scenario is most comfortable. A duel between Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis is predicted, along with an abundance of threes. The spectators at the "Paycom Center" may be kept in suspense until the very last seconds.

📊 HEAD-TO-HEAD

The last match between the teams was in the NBA Cup final. In it, Milwaukee was significantly better (97:81). In the context of the last 10 head-to-head meetings, the Bucks lead with a big margin (8:2).

🏀 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

The Oklahoma players continue to show by far the best basketball on their side of the court, allowing an average of 104.7 points. However, in the upcoming match, Holmgren and Mitchell will definitely not play. Additionally, Caruso, Wallace, and Williams are questionable - all players have a significant impact on defense. But Gilgeous-Alexander and company are quite good at executing attacks, which was the reason for their recent victory over Sacramento with a score of 144:110. High speeds are not as foreign to the hosts as it might seem - the Thunder love to break into fast breaks after steals (11.1, best in the NBA). Despite the high tempo, they also manage turnovers well - only 12 per game (2nd). Notably, in the last 5 matches involving Oklahoma, no less than 225 points have been scored - this trend will continue with the "Bucks." Therefore, it is realistic to expect at least a repeat of their average statistic of 117 points per game from the hosts.

🏀 MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Milwaukee is gradually returning to the ranks of top offensive teams, but recently, their results have left much to be desired: 4 losses in 5 games. In all cases, their defense worked incredibly poorly. The situations with Memphis (119:132) and San Antonio (118:144) were especially critical. We understand that the Bucks will not rebuild towards defensive basketball. This is a rather average team in this regard, allowing 112.5 points per game. Against an intense Oklahoma, going into defensive depths is counterproductive. Giannis will carry individually, Middleton and Lillard will help with shots. By the way, Milwaukee is second in the championship for threes - 38.7% accuracy. Such ambiguous basketball performed by Milwaukee can result in any outcome, but in any case, it will be associated with high scoring.

📝 EDITORIAL PREDICTION

Bookmakers consider Oklahoma favorites. The hosts have gained good form, continuing to remain leaders of the Eastern Conference with a very large margin (80.9% wins). But Milwaukee is an experienced team that knows how to outplay even the Thunder themselves. This was the case in the recent NBA intra-season cup final (97:81). We understand that with less responsibility, opponents will allow themselves more rapid basketball. There should be many shots from both sides - with an adequate percentage of accuracy. In view of this, our editorial does not highlight a more preferred team. It is much more logical to believe in the supremacy of attacking basketball and place a bet on total over 226.5 points.