Lakers carry six-game streak into Milwaukee as heavy favorites over 1-10 Bucks

The Los Angeles Lakers will try to stretch their winning streak to seven games Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum. It is the last stop before a three-day break, and the opponent is a Milwaukee team that has won one game all season. The 5 p.m. PT tip closes out a busy run. Los Angeles has played four games in seven nights, and the last two came on an East Coast swing through Detroit and Atlanta.

That combination of fatigue and a weak opponent is why Silver Screen and Roll's Nicole Ganglani, writing for SB Nation, framed this one as "a trap game in the making." The Bucks are rebuilding after moving on from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ganglani noted they rank in the bottom five at both ends of the floor, though they rebound well. They are also on the second night of a back-to-back after the New York Knicks beat them by 32 on Tuesday.

Milwaukee's top scorer is the main injury question. Tyler Herro sat out the Knicks game with a right knee contusion. Fubo News lists him at 21.4 points and 4.3 assists per game for a 1-10 team. Because of the back-to-back, the Bucks had not released a report for Wednesday by Silver Screen and Roll's deadline. If Herro sits, more falls to Kyle Kuzma, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Ryan Rollins. Fubo has Rollins at 11.0 points and 4.1 assists. For the Lakers, Quentin Grimes (right finger sprain) is the only player listed, and he is questionable. Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves are expected to play.

What it means for Wednesday

The Lakers are 10-2 and sit atop the Western Conference. They have scored at least 116 points in each of their six straight wins. Over that stretch they have averaged about 125.7 points and allowed about 115.5. The two most recent wins were the tightest of the trip, 121-116 at Detroit and 124-114 at Atlanta. Their only losses came early, at home to Portland and on the road at Golden State. They have since beaten the Trail Blazers in the rematch. With depth carrying much of the load on this trip, the bench should get another chance to log meaningful minutes against a thin Milwaukee rotation.

The board on this site's game page tracks 12 venues, and all of them have Los Angeles as a heavy road favorite. Novig has the Lakers favored at -590 on the moneyline, which returns $16.95 per $100. The best Lakers price anywhere is -578 at DraftKings, or $17.30 per $100. Milwaukee is +545 on Novig. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 3.9% to 5.7%.

The spread shows the bigger split. Novig has the Lakers at -12.5 (-108), and DraftKings lists them at -11.5 (-110), a full point lower. The total sits at 231.5 on Novig and 232.5 at DraftKings. Hold ranges from 2.9% to 5.5% on spreads and from 3.4% to 5.2% on totals across the sportsbooks.

The numbers point to a Lakers win and probably a comfortable one. The risk is the one Ganglani raised: a tired team at the end of a long trip with the break in sight. If a streaky Milwaukee shooter gets hot early, the margin could shrink quickly. A businesslike win would send the Lakers into their three days off at 11-2.