Bucks vs Lakers Prediction, Odds & Best Bets | NBA Picks Today (3/8): Huge Clash in L.A.

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The Milwaukee Bucks (41-22) continue their California road trip with a visit to the Los Angeles Lakers (34-30) at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, March 8. It's one of two games being nationally broadcast on ESPN.

Good morning.@Jockey x #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/8d0h13X0Xs

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 8, 2024

On Wednesday, the Bucks saw their winning streak end at six games with a 125-90 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers are also coming off a loss, though, falling 130-120 to the Sacramento Kings two nights ago.

Which side will prevail and return to their winning ways tonight?

Keep scrolling for my Bucks vs. Lakers predictions and best bets to find out.

Bucks vs Lakers NBA Betting Tonight (3/8)

Bucks vs Lakers Matchup Information

• Matchup: Milwaukee Bucks (41-22, 16-15 Away) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (34-30, 22-11 Home)
• Venue & Location: crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, CA)
• Date: Friday, March 8, 2024
• Game Time: 10 p.m. ET
• How to Watch Bucks vs. Lakers: ESPN

Lakers vs Bucks Odds & Spread

Lakers vs. Bucks odds are courtesy of Bovada as of Friday, March 8 at 10:45 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Bucks vs Lakers Spread

• Milwaukee Bucks -2 (-110)
• Los Angeles Lakers +2 (-110)

Lakers vs Bucks Over/Under

• Over 231.5 Points (-110)
• Under 231.5 Points (-110)

Bucks vs Lakers Moneyline

• Milwaukee Bucks (-130)
• Los Angeles Lakers (+110)

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Looking to get in on even more NBA picks today? Check out our NBA Picks page for consensus picks for every 2023-24 season game.

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Bucks vs Lakers NBA Betting Trends

• Milwaukee is 4-1 straight up in its last five games vs. the Lakers.
• The Lakers are 5-0 straight up in their last five games vs. the Eastern Conference.
• Milwaukee is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games.
• The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.
• The total hit the Under in each of Milwaukee's last five road games.
• The total hit the Under in seven of the Lakers' last nine games vs. Milwaukee.

Bucks vs Lakers Prediction & NBA Picks Today (3/8): Can Milwaukee Start a New Streak?

If the Bucks want to begin a new winning streak tonight, they must play better than they did against the Warriors. They were held to a mere 90 points in the 35-point loss, shooting a putrid 38.2% from the field and 28.2% from the three-point line.

The Lakers haven't been playing that well on defense, though, allowing their last three opponents to average 119.3 PPG on .512/.396/.857 shooting splits. They also surrendered at least 124 points in two of those outings, picking up a loss on each occasion.

A matchup with the Lakers could be what the Bucks need to get back on track. Not only has Milwaukee won four of its last five meetings with Darvin Ham's team, but it has also won seven of its last six road games against Los Angeles, winning each of the last three visits by an average of 13.0 points.

In fact, the Lakers haven't defeated the Bucks at home since March 6, 2020 — over four years ago.

Will the Lakers finally defeat the Bucks at home tonight? 

It remains to be seen if injuries will be a factor tonight. Khris Middleton (ankle) is out for the Bucks while Giannis Antetokounmpo (Achilles) will be a game-time decision. Having said that, the "Greek Freak" was questionable on Wednesday but still suited up against the Warriors.

Meanwhile, the Lakers will be without Christian Wood (knee), Gabe Vincent (knee), and Jarred Vanderbilt (foot). LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (Achilles) are both questionable while Cam Reddish (ankle) is probable to suit up.

The Lakers also don't have much success as the home underdog this season, going 4-5 SU/ATS (44.4%). At the same time, the Bucks are 11-13 ATS (45.8%) and 15-9 SU (62.5%) as away favorites in 2023-24.

Sticking on the topic of the spread, the Lakers are just 2-6 ATS across their last eight games as well as 1-4 ATS in their last five home outings.

For comparison, the Bucks have covered the spread in six of their last seven goings while going 8-4 ATS in their 12 previous meetings with the Lakers.

The Bucks have a history of covering the spread when facing the Lakers over the last few seasons. 

After getting embarrassed by the Warriors, I see the Bucks winning tonight. They're one of the NBA Championship favorites for a reason on top of the fact that they're 14-7 SU following a loss this season. The Lakers have been playing too inconsistently for my liking, so let's go with the visitors picking up the victory.

The Bucks are also better at covering the spread than the Lakers, meaning it's a no-brainer to take them as the 2-point favorites, too.

Bucks vs Lakers NBA Prediction: MIL wins

Best Bucks vs Lakers NBA Bet: MIL -2 (-110)

Get 50% up to $750 on your Bucks vs. Lakers NBA picks today over at Bovada

Best Bucks vs Lakers NBA Prop Bet (3/8)

Although I'm usually someone who likes the Over on NBA player props, I can't help but take Malik Beasley to finish with under 2.5 threes made tonight.

Although Beasley is averaging 2.9 threes made on 43.5% shooting this season, his shot is falling lately. The former FSU Seminole is averaging 1.8 3PM with a 26.7% success rate across his last five games, finishing with the Under three times — including in each of his last three games.

After going 0-for-6 from the three-point line against the Warriors, let's err on the side of caution tonight.

Best Bucks vs Lakers Prop Bet: Malik Beasley u2.5 Threes Made (-102)

Get 50% up to $1,000 on this Bucks vs. Lakers prop at BetOnline

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