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Three of the best NBA teams and one of the most famous ones face off on TNT’s Tuesday night showcase. In the early game, the last two NBA champions face off when the Golden State Warriors visit the Milwaukee Bucks. In the late game, the 2020 champions and current 12th place Los Angeles Lakers host perennial also-rans, the Boston Celtics. Look, they’ve won one championship in Mike Conley’s lifetime. Al Horford was five days old when they won the one before. How else should we describe them?
Boston and Milwaukee are the top teams in the East this season, while the Warriors and Lakers are...not, but these games are also ferocious. While the Warriors are LeBron James’ biggest rival, the Lakers’ biggest rival is and always will be the Celtics. And the Bucks have been a consistent challenge for the Warriors, ever since the famous “24-1 game”, when some gutsy Milwaukee fans made t-shirts pre-emptively celebrating the Bucks ending the Warriors undefeated start in 2015.
The teams are mostly healthy as well. Andrew Wiggins is out for the Warriors, while Jrue Holiday might be out sick for the Bucks. Khris Middleton and Draymond Green are banged up but should still play.
: @Bucks Injury Report ;
— Brock Kowalski (@BrockOnWarriors) December 13, 2022
OUT: F-G Joe Ingles (ACL)
Questionable: G Jrue Holiday (non-COVID illness)
Probable: F Khris Middleton (ankle)
: @NBAPR #DubNation | #FearTheDeer
As for the Celtics and Lakers, Anthony Davis is probable because he’s always probable, Robert Williams likely won’t return until Friday, and Al Horford is out because his wife just had their fifth child.
Al Horford and his wife, Amelia, welcomed their fifth child yesterday.
— Greg Dudek (@gdudek10) December 13, 2022
Horford has missed the last couple games due to personal reasons (obvious what they are now) & is expected to play Friday when Celtics return from West Coast trip. https://t.co/DHfWf5CfRs
You can bet these games are going to be exciting, and you can also bet on same game parlays at DraftKings.
Draft Kings Odds
Milwaukee is favored by four points over Golden State, and the over/under is a whopping 233.5. Perhaps the bookmakers have watched the Warriors’ rotations on three-point shots this year?
What parlay do we like best? All-Star buddies Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steph Curry both scoring 30+ points, plus the Bucks on the moneyline is (+425). While the Warriors have tended to play up (and down) to their level of competition all year, they’ve also tended to play like, as the kids say, hot garbage on the road.
We also like a parlay based on a loathsome player who always kills the Warriors. Grayson Allen, the tripping, wrist-breaking, Duke-attending Ted Cruz lookalike is shooting 51.7 percent from three-point range against the Warriors, and with Andrew Wiggins still out with an injury, why would it stop tonight? A parlay of Allen hitting 3+ threes, Bucks -3.5 points, and the points over pays +750.
And of course, we have to consider revenge. Namely, Donte DiVincenzo getting back at the Bucks for trading him from a championship franchise to the polar opposite of a championship franchise, the Sacramento Kings. With every trip to Dos Coyotes, every look at the weird chrome horse in front of the Safeway in Richmond Grove, DiVincenzo’s resentment grew. White Donte is averaging five points and one three-pointer each game. Tonight, we think he’s going off. Give us Donte DiVincenzo getting 8+ points, 2+ three-pointers, and 3+ assists for +550.
For a longshot, we’re taking a simple one. Warriors to win on the moneyline, plus Mr. Triple-Single himself, Draymond Green, delivering a big prime time triple-double. Pays out at +3000, and it doesn’t seem that unlikely.
In the late game, Boston is favored by 3.5, meaning the oddsmakers have reacted to their recent skid. The over/under is 235.5, as befitting the league’s No. 1 offense facing off with a team that’s averaging over 120 points per game since Thanksgiving.
If you want to go chalk, betting Boston on the moneyline, with Jayson Tatum going +30 points and Jaylen Brown scoring 20+ pays out at +245. We also like parlaying the Celtics moneyline with LeBron James scoring over 25.5 points and Tatum going over 29.5 points (+425).
It’s very tempting to add some parlays that involve the dominant AD, but we tried that last week and Davis left the game for good after eight minutes. Between his back, his feet, and potential stomach flu, Anthony Davis parlays remain a stay-away for us. He’s either going to put up 35 and 20, or he’s going to put his foot in a walking boot - there is no middle ground.
For our longshot parlay, we are going with a classic. Russell Westbrook triple-double, baby! It’s +2500, but if you parlay it with Boston on the moneyline, you’re getting a cool +3500 payout. Russ getting a triple-double and Russ losing in a big game: Two great tastes that taste great together.
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