Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 03/11/2023, 05:21  by Joseph King | Modified on 03/11/2023 at 11:30 in NBA Prediction

The NBA Cup gets underway on Friday with the first matchup in Group B as the Milwaukee Bucks host the New York Knicks. The NBA has made the decision to combine the NBA regular season and the in-season tournament results. This means that the results will count both towards the teams regular season record as well as their cup record. It was a summer of serious change for the Bucks. They dismissed long-term head coach Mike Budenholzer and made a blockbuster trade to acquire Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers. Naturally, the team has taken some time to adapt and they still appear to be very much in that adjustment phase. Milwaukee are 2-2 on the season with their most recent game finishing in an ugly 130-111 away loss to the Raptors on Wednesday.

The Knicks will be looking to bounce back after a 95-89 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last appearance. It was New York's third defeat of the season as they have now dropped to a 2-3 record which has them sitting ninth in the East. While the Knicks haven’t been able to win consecutive games up to this point, they haven’t lost two straight either. The visitors may be slightly better than their record suggests as they have the number one ranked strength of schedule at this early point in the season. All three of New York’s losses have been by single digits, including a four-point loss to title-favorites Boston. Easily the most positive part of the Knicks season so far has been their excellent defensive performances. They’ve held their last three opponents to under 100 points scored and rank towards the top of the NBA in most defensive metrics.