NBA Matchups Matchup
Bet on NBA Basketball at BetUS!
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| Teams |
Bookmaker |
SportsBook |
BetUS |
| New Orleans |
193½ |
194 |
194 |
| Milwaukee |
+5½ |
+5½ |
+6 |
Odds subject to change |
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The Southwest Division-leading New Orleans Hornets look to enter the NBA All-Star break atop the Western Conference on Wednesday night when meet the stumbling Milwaukee Bucks.
The Hornets (35-15), one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season, are one-half game behind Pacific Division-leading Phoenix, which travels to Golden State on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, New Orleans overcame a sluggish first half to beat Chicago 100-86 and run its winning streak to three games. Chris Paul spurred the victory with 25 points and 14 assists, while Peja Stojakovic and David West added 27 points each.
"Coach (Byron Scott) really got on us at halftime. When he does that I feel like he's talking directly to me," said Paul, who will join West - and be coached by Scott - in Sunday's All-Star game in New Orleans. "That's part of my job when he said we needed to pick up the intensity and push the ball."
Paul's performance against the Bulls came after he had his worst shooting game of the season on Saturday. Though he had 16 assists, Paul went 1-for-10 and missed all four 3-pointers to finish with two points in a 112-99 victory over Memphis.
He is averaging a team-high 20.5 points and 10.9 assists puts Paul second behind All-Star teammate Steve Nash of Phoenix, who has 11.7.
Stojakovic, one of the best outside shooters in the league, has been key during the three-game surge, averaging 26.3 points on 58.5 percent shooting.
"When Peja is shooting the ball like that, we understand we've got to get it to him," said Paul.
Stojakovic had 18 points in a 106-92 win over the Bucks (19-33) on Jan. 21, and he is averaging 20.1 points in 15 career meetings against them.
The Bucks, who are last in the Central Division, are looking to avoid losing a season-high fourth consecutive game for the fourth time.
Their current slide was extended with a pair of losses to fellow last-place clubs. Milwaukee squandered a 17-point, third-quarter lead for a disappointing 99-98 loss to New York on Saturday before falling 96-89 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it," Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said after their sixth loss in seven games. "We've got some agendas creeping in. Good teams don't have that. I'd be lying to say we're not down. There's no doubt about that.
"It's easy to start separating and it's happening. We need to put an end to it."
Michael Redd, who finished with 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting, simplified Milwaukee's problems.
"We've got to all focus on winning; that's the bottom line," he said. "I hope there's no agendas, but the coaches know better than I do."
Redd, who averages a team-high 22.6 points, will try to help the Bucks enter the break on a positive note. He is averaging 28.8 points in his last six games against New Orleans, but was held to 19 on 5-of-16 shooting in last month's loss.
Redd hopes to continue getting help from Mo Williams, who had 31 points against the Clippers after sitting out the loss to the Knicks because of the flu. He's averaging 33.0 points over the last three games, upping his career-high season average to 17.5.
Milwaukee has lost four straight to New Orleans following a 101-94 home win on Dec. 23, 2005.
Pick: New Orleans
Result: Lost
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