Halftime Report
The Pelicans are giving their home crowd exactly what they were hoping for. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Bucks 61-45.
The Pelicans came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Milwaukee Bucks @ New Orleans Pelicans
Current Records: Milwaukee 46-26, New Orleans 44-28
How To Watch
- When:Â Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV:Â NBATV
- Follow:Â CBS Sports App
- Online streaming:Â fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $19.00
What to Know
The Bucks have enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the New Orleans Pelicans at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Smoothie King Center. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
The Bucks fought the good fight in their overtime match against the Lakers on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 128-124 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lakers. This was hardly the result Milwaukee or their fans were betting on, as they were favored by 9.5 points over Los Angeles heading into this matchup.
The match pitted two of the league’s most dominant forwards against one another in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis. Davis had a solid game and dropped a double-double on 34 points and 23 rebounds. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo did his best for the losing side, dropping a triple-double on 29 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Even though they lost, the Bucks smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. This was only their second loss (out of seven games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans came up short against the Thunder on Tuesday and fell 119-112.
The losing side was boosted by Zion Williamson, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and ten assists.
Milwaukee’s loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 46-26. As for New Orleans, their defeat dropped their record down to 44-28.
The Bucks took their victory against the Pelicans in their previous meeting back in January by a conclusive 141-117. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bucks since the team won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Odds
Milwaukee is a slight 2-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 224.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Milwaukee has won 8 out of their last 10 games against New Orleans.
- Jan 27, 2024 – Milwaukee 141 vs. New Orleans 117
- Jan 29, 2023 – Milwaukee 135 vs. New Orleans 110
- Dec 19, 2022 – Milwaukee 128 vs. New Orleans 119
- Jan 01, 2022 – Milwaukee 136 vs. New Orleans 113
- Dec 17, 2021 – New Orleans 116 vs. Milwaukee 112
- Feb 25, 2021 – Milwaukee 129 vs. New Orleans 125
- Jan 29, 2021 – New Orleans 131 vs. Milwaukee 126
- Feb 04, 2020 – Milwaukee 120 vs. New Orleans 108
- Dec 11, 2019 – Milwaukee 127 vs. New Orleans 112
- Mar 12, 2019 – Milwaukee 130 vs. New Orleans 113
