Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks Pick – August 18, 2020

The postseason in the NBA is finally here and the fight for the Larry O’Brien Trophy continues with the No.1 seed Milwaukee Bucks playing “hosts” to the No.8 seed Orlando Magic on Tuesday afternoon.

This is one of those matchups in which the winner of the series is pretty much known even before the opening tip-off, as the Bucks are a massive -10000 favorites to win the series, while the Magic are only +2000 to advance to the second round.

Check out all-important betting tips and trends along with the best Magic vs. Bucks betting pick for Game 1.  

No one was surprised to see the Bucks as strong favorites by the sportsbooks for this matchup with the Magic. Although the Magic have had some nice displays in the bubble, most recently defeating the New Orleans Pelicans with a 133-127 score, they really don’t stand much chance against the top-seeded Bucks.

The spread is set at 12.5 points, and although the Bucks are pretty healthy and massive dogs in this one, I am never really opting on betting on the 12.5 point spread in a playoff game.

However, the total is set at 225 points and it seems more appealing to me. Looking at the last 4 H2H meetings between these two teams, the 225-points limit was cracked not once, which means that we should look for the under at -104.

Of course, you can check out the best NBA betting sites to find the odds and alternative lines that will help you make the best moves. Picking an alternative spread or totals is often crucial in basketball.

The Orlando Magic went 3-5 straight up and 4-4 ATS in the bubble, most recently taking down the Pelicans in a high scoring 133-127 affair. They are hoping that they can ride that momentum going into Game 1 of their series with the Bucks.

It is interesting to see that five of their eight played games in the bubble went in the over. However, only 1 out of their last 8 matchups with the Bucks cracked the set 225 total points mark.

Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier will be the key players for the Magic. Fournier comes into this contest averaging 18.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and dishes out 3.2 assists per game, while his fellow teammate Vucevic is scoring 19.6 points per game. In addition, Vucevic is dishing out 3.6 assists, and grabbing 10.6 boards per contest. Aaron Gordon is

.@NikolaVucevic's @SASsoftware shot chart last night = ? pic.twitter.com/IUrT4sJ7nk

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) August 14, 2020

The Bucks have not shinned in the bubble, going 3-5 SU and 3-5 ATS. Most recently the Bucks were outgunned in the final game of the regular season by the Memphis Grizzlies, suffering a 106-119 loss. Giannis Antetokounmpo was suspended by the league in this game after his confrontation with Washington Wizards center in previous game.

For the Bucks, Giannis will be the key figure offensively, bringing in 29.5 points per contest. Alongside his 5.6 assists, Giannis is pulling down 13.6 boards per game. Khris Middleton is averaging 20.9 points, 6.2 board, and 4.3 assist in 29.9 minutes per game.

This is our year. #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/QoAoHv0IMq

— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) August 17, 2020

Both teams are pretty good defensively, but the key fact for this game will probably be the fact that the Magic are pretty banged up with injuries.

 Jonathan Isaac, who is a great defensive player and would be a good matchup with Giannis, is out with a knee injury. Aaron Gordon is still rusty from his hamstring injury, but should be ready to play. Mo Bamba (quarantine) and Michael Carter-Williams (foot injury) are also out.

 On the other side, the Bucks will miss Ersan Ilyasova, who is recovering from elbow injury, while Wesley Matthews remains questionable with right adductor soreness.

The Bucks win should be a no-brainer. As I have stated before, I am not too confident on betting on 12.5 point spread in a playoff game. Rather, I would look at the total which is set at 225.

In their last four meetings this season, these two teams have combined for less than 215 points, so I think that we are getting a pretty good value at 225 points, which is why I going for the Under 225 points at -104.