Jazz vs Bucks Picks and Predictions: Missing Stars Will Haunt Milwaukee vs Utah

The Utah Jazz dropped a road game to Chicago last night and now have to go visiting the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks as the second half of a back-to-back.

It’s not a stretch to say that showdown at the Fiserv Forum could be a preview of this year’s NBA Finals, as these are two of the better teams in the entire league, although a number of injuries to Milwaukee have resulted in NBA betting odds having the Jazz as 2-point road favorites.

Will Utah bounce back and avoid losing a second straight road game? Find out in our Jazz vs. Bucks NBA picks and predictions for Sunday, October 31. 

Jazz vs Bucks odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

After opening as a 1-point road favorite in this game, the Jazz are -1.5 at most books, with some even showing -2. The total has also moved a bit in this one, as it opened at 224 and ticked up a half-point to 224.5.  Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

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Jazz vs Bucks predictions

• Prediction: Jazz -1.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 224.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Jazz -1.5 (-110)

Predictions made on 10/31/2021 at 10:50 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Jazz vs Bucks game info

• Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
• Date: Sunday, October 31, 2021
• Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin, ATTSN-RM

Jazz vs Bucks betting preview

Injuries

Jazz: Mike Conley G (Questionable), Rudy Gay F (Out).
Bucks: Bobby Portis F (Questionable), Jrue Holiday G (Out), Brook Lopez C (Out), Donte DiVincenzo G (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Bucks are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as home underdogs. . Find more NBA betting trends for Jazz vs. Bucks.

Jazz vs Bucks picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

The Bucks are going to be without Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez in this game, which means that Milwaukee will be putting a lot of pressure on both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton here. Against 95 percent of the teams in this league, that duo would still be favored to come away with a win, but the Jazz are among the small minority where that won't cut it.

So far this season, Utah is ranked second in the league in defensive rating and fifth in the league in offensive rating — and that’s despite the fact that the Jazz haven’t exactly shot it that well from behind the 3-point line (32.5%), which is something that should improve as they shot 38.9 percent from beyond the arc last year.

Considering the Bucks are just 20th in the league in defensive rating and are missing two of their better defenders in Holiday and Lopez — in addition to Donte DiVincenzo, who is another excellent defender — it’s entirely possible that this Jazz offense will carve them up.

Even if point guard Mike Conley ends up missing this game, Utah has enough offensive depth to get the job done here. Donovan Mitchell is more than capable of playing a bigger role on the ball, and the Jazz also have the luxury of giving rookie PG Jared Butler some added reps here. The fact of the matter is that Milwaukee being shorthanded (and missing some crucial players) will likely lead to some great looks for sharpshooters Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic. Even a player like Jordan Clarkson is a big-time threat to go off in this game.

Defensively, the Jazz will use Bogdanovic and Ingles to guard Middleton and Antetokounmpo. Obviously, that won’t be perfect, but they’re two big-bodied wings that can be physical and make Milwaukee's stars work. It also helps that Rudy Gobert will be behind them to protect the rim, as he is still one of the game’s best defenders.

Prediction: Jazz -1.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

As previously mentioned, the Bucks are missing three of their best defenders for tonight's game. That means that a very good Jazz offense should have its way in this contest.

Despite who the Bucks are missing, Milwaukee does still has Antetokounmpo and Middleton, who are easily capable of combining to score 70+ points whenever they hit the floor. Those two are also still surrounded by some good shooters, so it just isn’t out of the question that the Bucks will end up scoring a decent amount of points in this game — even in defeat.

It’s also worth noting that Milwaukee is currently playing at the third-fastest pace in the league this season, and Utah is tied for 11th on the year. These teams both like to get up and down the floor when they can, and the Bucks are likely going to run even more without Lopez out there.

Prediction: Over 224.5 (-110)

Best bet

The best play you can make on this game is simply taking Utah as such a small road favorite. When fully healthy, there really isn’t much that separates these two teams right now and an argument can really be made that the Jazz are the best team in basketball — even if they have suffered some disappointing postseason exits in recent years.

The Jazz are the better team on both ends of the floor and Milwaukee is just missing too many players that are absolutely crucial in what Mike Budenholzer wants his team to do.

A guy like Holiday would have been able to stick with Mitchell throughout this game, and that would have burnt Utah’s superstar out down the stretch. Without that luxury, there’s nobody on this Bucks team that can really stop him.

Pick: Jazz -1.5 (-110)

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