Bucks favored to win NBA Championship as league nears return

Just how good is Giannis Antetokounmpo? The reigning MVP didn’t have access to a basketball hoop for the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic and yet his Milwaukee Bucks are still favored to win the 2020 NBA Championship when the league resumes play on July 31.

Milwaukee’s +190 odds have them positioned well ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (+270) and Los Angeles Clippers (+340) in the eyes of the oddsmakers at BetAmerica. The Toronto Raptors are a distant fourth at +1500, strongly suggesting the Larry O’Brien Trophy won’t be returning to Canada anytime soon.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Much has changed in the world since Mar. 11 when the NBA originally postponed it’s 2019-20 season, but little has changed for the Bucks. Milwaukee is the same dominant club that raced out to a league-best 53-12 record on the strength of an 18-game winning streak.

Mike Budenholzer’s team currently leads the NBA in scoring, rebounding, defensive rating, net rating, pace, and plus/minus. They also happen to have the league’s most dominant player in Antetokounmpo. The four-time All-Star is posting career-highs in points (29.6) and rebounds (13.7) and has steadily increased his range after opposing teams took to packing the lane against the Bucks in last year’s playoffs. Granted, the Greek Freak is only canning 31% of his treys, but his willingness to launch from deep has vastly improved Milwaukee’s spacing while also reducing the kinds of gimmicky defenses the Bucks used to face.

The Bucks’ bench has been big

Antetokounmpo’s improved stroke is one reason to bet big on the Bucks, but it’s not the only one. Milwaukee also has a far better supporting cast than the team that flamed out of the postseason a year ago. Veteran point guard George Hill is leading the NBA is three-point shooting, and combo guard Donte DiVincenzo has taken a huge leap forward in his sophomore season. The Villanova product is averaging close to 10 points per game and has emerged as a pesky on-the-ball defender who ranks among the league leaders in steals.

Milwaukee also made a sneaky good move in February by picking up Marvin Williams after he was waived by the Charlotte Hornets. The 33-year-old is precisely the kind of high-character, low maintenance vet that every championship squad needs.

Eight games remain

The Bucks have eight regular seasons games remaining before the playoffs begin, three of which are against sub .500 teams. Those contests should give Milwaukee a chance to ease back into competition, while tip offs against the Rockets and Raptors will allow them to gauge just how ready they are for a deep playoff run.

The NBA returns to action on July 31 in Orlando, Florida. Learn all about the league’s ambitious restart plan here.

Basketball is back! Wager on NBA futures now at BetAmerica.