The New York Knicks (45-27) will visit the Milwaukee Bucks (40-32) in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The game will broadcast live on NBA League Pass.
The Knicks are 1-point favorites over the Bucks on the spread (Knicks -1), with the over/under set at 217.5 total points. New York is a -115 favorite to win outright, while Milwaukee is -105 to pull off the upset.
Let's get to my Knicks vs. Bucks predictions and NBA picks for Friday, March 28.
Knicks vs Bucks Prediction
My Bucks vs. Knicks best bet is on New York moneyline, with the best line currently available at Fanatics. But as always, make sure to shop for the best line using our live NBA odds page.
My Pick: Knicks Moneyline (-115)
Knicks vs Bucks Odds, Spread, Picks
| Knicks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 217.5 -110o / -110u | -115 |
| Bucks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 217.5 -110o / -110u | -105 |
- Knicks vs. Bucks spread: Knicks -1
- Knicks vs. Bucks over/under: 217.5 total points
- Knicks vs. Bucks moneyline: Knicks -115, Bucks -105
- Knicks vs. Bucks best bet: Knicks ML (-115)
New York Knicks vs Milwaukee Bucks NBA Friday Preview
The Knicks face off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night and both teams are dealing with key injuries. New York will be without all of its primary rotation point guards with Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, and Cameron Payne all out with injury. This may thrust rookie Tyler Kolek into the starting lineup for the very first time in his career.
Kolek has played 18 minutes in three straight games and racked up 8, 9, and 7 assists in those matchups with just one turnover. He's a clear pass-first guard, but it's unclear how many minutes they can scale him up to. Expect Josh Hart and KAT to pick up some of the facilitating duties.
For the Bucks, they will be without Damian Lillard for the foreseeable future after his diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and Giannis is listed as Questionable with a foot injury. Both Kuzma and Kevin Porter Jr see Usage upticks without Dame and Giannis.
The Knicks and the Bucks are interesting without Brunson and Dame. They both actually have negative point differentials on the season, per Cleaning the Glass. The teams are better offensively with them and better defensively without them. The offenses still are manageable with other elite options such as Giannis or KAT but the defensive bump is notable.
Over the last two weeks, the Knicks have performed a bit better than the Bucks with a +3.1 Net Rating compared to their +0.4. The Knicks have actually gotten a bit unlucky winning 1.2 fewer games than expected over this stretch, per Cleaning the Glass. The offense has struggled a bit but the defense has been locked in relative to their full season numbers.
There is more clarity surrounding the Knicks' injury report than the Bucks, and that likely affects the line more than anything. This may be a good spot to rest Giannis again after he sat against the Nuggets. This is the front end of a back-to-back for Milwaukee, and with Sunday's matchup being against the Hawks, that should be an easier matchup to attack on paper.
I'll back New York to won outright on the moneyline as road favorites here. For my same game parlay, I'll take KAT 25+ Points, KAT 3+ Assists, and Hart 5+ Assists.
Knicks vs Bucks Betting Prediction
- Knicks ML (-115)
Knicks vs Bucks Same Game Parlay
- Karl-Anthony Towns 25+ Points
- Karl-Anthony Towns 3+ Assists
- Josh Hart 5+ Assists
Parlay Payout: +210
