The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers wrap up Saturday’s jam-packed NBA slate.
The pregame narrative: The Bucks are red-hot so I’ll back them as an underdog on a teased-up spread. In the prop market, look for Norman Powell to fill the basket and Kawhi Leonard to hit a three.
Check out my Bucks vs. Clippers same-game parlay predictions for Jan. 25.
Bucks vs. Clippers predictions
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Parlay: Bucks +7.5 + Powell over 22.5 points + Leonard over 0.5 threes (+290)
Bucks +7.5 (-245): Milwaukee has been on a rampage to start the new year.
- 8-3 record
- 9.5 net rating (third-best in NBA)
- 118.5 offensive rating (fifth-best in NBA)
Los Angeles is 6-5 in that same span while sitting fourth in net rating. These are two good teams meeting up in prime time and I can’t see a blowout happening either way.
But with the Bucks scoring at least 120 points in five straight games (all wins) I like their chances of covering this huge number.
Milwaukee is also 8-2 in its last 10 games versus Los Angeles.
SGP legs
Powell over 22.5 points (-104): Powell has been the alpha dog in Los Angeles this season.
The veteran shooting guard is averaging a career-best 23.7 PPG on stellar 49.0/43.3/83.4 shooting splits.
Powell has scored at least 20 points in eight of his last nine games, giving us a solid floor to work with. He cleared this mark in five of those contests and draws an amazing matchup tonight against the Bucks.
Milwaukee has gotten torched by guards since acquiring Damian Lillard and Powell isn’t afraid to let it fly.
With Harden taking a step back as a scorer and Leonard limited, I expect L.A.’s offence to run through the former Toronto Raptor.
Leonard over 0.5 threes (-400): I would never recommend this as a standalone play but it fits perfectly into our SGP, raising the odds from +188 to +290.
Leonard has been on a strict minutes restriction since making his season debut on Jan. 4. He’s never played more than 25 minutes a night and is averaging a minuscule 13.8 PPG as a result.
That said, all I’m asking of the Claw is a single 3.
He’s done that in four of six games this season and has historically been a steady 3-point shooter.
- Leonard is averaging 2.0 threes on 5.1 attempts a night since joining L.A. in 2019 (40.0%).
- Last year, he hit a 3 in 61/68 games (89.7%).
This leg should be a breeze.
Picks made at 12:11 p.m. ET 01/25/2025
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.