Los Angeles Clippers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: Can James Harden Stuff the Stat Sheet Tonight?
Can James Harden stuff the stat sheet tonight against the Bucks? Ben Rajavuori provides his Los Angeles Clippers vs. Milwaukee Bucks prediction. Profit with this Clippers vs. Bucks player prop pick.
Ben Rajavuori - March 4, 2024, 5:05 PM EST
5 minLos Angeles Clippers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: Can James Harden Stuff the Stat Sheet Tonight?
The Los Angeles Clippers travel to Milwaukee tonight to take on the bucks from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The Clippers are sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 39–20 entering this game after winning back-to-back games and playing last night against the Wolves and taking a massive win on the road. The Bucks are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference right now as they sit in second place behind the Celtics with a record of 40–21. They have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning five games in a row recently, and they have a stiff test here against the Clippers. What should we expect in this game?
Clippers vs. Bucks DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: March 4, 2024
- Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction
The player I am targeting in this game is Clippers shooting guard James Harden. Harden signed with the Clippers after things not working out with the Sixers and has done very well this season with one of the top teams in the conference. While his career averages are slightly down this year, he has still been a pivotal piece of this team that gets assists at a high rate and facilitates the offense. Harden has been one of the top assist leaders in the NBA over the last six years of his career, and he is currently sixth in the NBA this season with 8.3 assists per game. Harden is coming off a hard game against the Timberwolves last night in which he finished with 10 assists, which is not out of the norm for him, but what was out of the norm was his shooting.
Harden finished last night's game 0–10 from the field and finished with just four points on four free throws. It was the first time all season that Harden failed to make a shot, but it is not surprising, considering he was playing one of the best defenses in the NBA. The Timberwolves are extremely stingy against the opposing guards as they allow the fourth fewest points to point guards in the league and the second-fewest points to shooting guards, thanks to Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards.
However, James Harden will have a much better matchup against the Bucks, who have struggled mightily to contain guards this year. The Bucks are allowing the fourth most points to point guards and the third most points to shooting guards. While Harden has assumed the role of point guard lately, he is a point guard/shooting guard hybrid, who can really do it all at the guard position. Now, Russell Westbrook is injured and will miss just his second game of the season, so Harden's role in facilitating the offense will expand even further. Given that Harden is coming off his worst shooting performance of the season against a stingy defense, I love him to bounce back in this spot against the Bucks, who have a much worse defense tonight. Harden only played 34 minutes last night and 25 minutes in his last game against the Wizards, so I expect him to play in the upper 30s in minutes, have a bounce-back performance shooting-wise, and continue to get assists at a high rate as well. Therefore I am targeting his stat combo of points+rebounds+assists tonight.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction
Pick: James Harden Over 30.5 Points+Rebounds+Assists -104 CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
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