Two teams missing a key player due to injury will face off Monday, when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Portland Trail Blazers at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBA League Pass. It’s an especially tough spot for the Blazers, who were just blown out by the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Sunday. (No shame in that, as the Thunder blow out pretty much everybody.)
Below, we'll preview the game and break down three of the top Trail Blazers vs. Bucks NBA prediction and picks on PrizePicks for Monday, including for Trail Blazers F Deni Avdija and Bucks G Ryan Rollins.
Trail Blazers vs. Bucks Prediction, Monday NBA Picks
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo (thigh) will miss his third straight game. Antetokounmpo has sat out four games this season, during which the Bucks posted a 1-3 record.
Trail Blazers G Jrue Holiday (calf) will miss his sixth straight game. Portland G/F Shaedon Sharpe’s status is up in the air as he has missed the last three games with a calf injury. Blazers C Robert Williams III could be back in the lineup after sitting out Sunday for rest.
Portland Trail Blazers
After a hot start, the Trail Blazers are 3-7 over their last 10. They are just 4-6 on the road this season, and since Holiday went down, they have managed just a 1-4 record.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have lost four straight games and are 3-7 over their last 10 matchups. They are 5-5 at home, compared to 3-4 on the road. Their defense has been an issue without Giannis — over the four games he has missed, they've allowed at least 120 points three times.
Trail Blazers vs. Bucks Prediction, Monday NBA Picks
Here are three of the top Trail Blazers vs. Bucks DFS picks on PrizePicks for Monday. Player projections via the PrizePicks real money NBA game.
Trail Blazers F Deni Avdija vs. Bucks Projection – 24.5 Points
- Avdija was held to 11 points in Sunday’s loss to the Thunder, who have the best defensive rating in the league.
- Prior to Sunday, Portland’s breakout forward had scored at least 26 points in three of his previous four games.
- For the season, the the native of Israel is averaging 25.1 points, while posting career-highs in shot attempts (17.1) and three-point attempts (6.8) per game.
- The Bucks have the tenth-worst defensive rating (117.0) in the league.
Bucks G Ryan Rollins vs. Trail Blazers Projection – 22.5 Points
- Rollins scored 24 points against the Pistons on Saturday, which came on the heels of a 32 points barrage in his previous game against the 76ers.
- Giannis has missed four games this season and Rollins has scored at least 24 points in each.
- The fourth-year guard is averaging 14.2 shot attempts per game for the season, but he's chucked 20.8 shots per game over the four matchups without Giannis.
- The Trail Blazers have recorded the ninth-worst defensive rating (117.4) in the NBA.
Trail Blazers C Donovan Clingan vs. Bucks Projection – 20.5 Points + Rebounds
- After logging only 20 minutes per game last season, Clingan has averaged 25 minutes through 17.
- With the additional playing time, Clingan has averaged 10.1 points and 9.9 rebounds a night.
- The second-year center has combined for at least 21 points and rebounds in four of his last five games.
- The Bucks have given up the eighth-most rebounds per game (45.6) in the league.
Two teams missing key starters because of injuries will battle Monday when the Trail Blazers take on the Bucks.
Avdija aims to pace the Trail Blazers’ scoring attack, while Clingan will look to rack up points and rebounds with the Bucks struggling to control the glass.
On Milwaukee’s side, Rollins looks to pick up the scoring slack again with Giannis sidelined.
With plenty of projections to consider for Trail Blazers vs. Bucks and the rest of Monday’s slate, now is the time to build your NBA Lineup on PrizePicks. Just pick More or Less for at least two NBA player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks. Check out the Playbook for more NBA DFS picks and analysis all the way through the season.
