- 1 Washington Wizards vs Milwaukee Bucks: the first night of the post-Giannis Bucks
- 2 Washington Wizards: Dybantsa, Young and Davis behind a defence that gave up 125 a night
- 3 Milwaukee Bucks: Herro scored 25 in 24 minutes, but three preseason defeats under 100
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Washington Wizards vs Milwaukee Bucks
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Washington Wizards vs Milwaukee Bucks: the first night of the post-Giannis Bucks 
Milwaukee traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami this summer and got Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. back. Wednesday in Washington is the first regular-season game of whatever comes next, and it starts with a new head coach, Taylor Jenkins, on the bench.
The Wizards went the other way. They finished 17-65 last season, the worst record in the league, and closed it on a 10-game losing streak. That record bought them AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick, and he goes straight into a starting five with Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
The market now has Washington as the favourite. The Wizards are 1.48 to win and the Bucks 2.90, with Washington giving 5.5 points on the spread and the total set at 238.5. A year ago that line would have looked absurd.
It’s the second straight season these two meet on opening night. Last year’s Bucks had Giannis and still finished 32-50, missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. This year’s have Herro, Myles Turner and two rookies, Brayden Burries and Nate Ament.
Tip-off at Capital One Arena is 7:00pm ET on Wednesday 21 October. Milwaukee’s first home game follows on Friday against Chicago.
Washington Wizards: Dybantsa, Young and Davis behind a defence that gave up 125 a night 
Washington allowed 125 points per game last season. They’ve had a bottom-five defence three years running, and the offence ranked 22nd in efficiency. Those numbers belong to a roster that has since been rebuilt around new faces.
Davis, Young, Deandre Ayton and Dybantsa all arrive in a team that also kept Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr. The projected starting five is Young, George, Dybantsa, Davis and Sarr, with Khris Middleton back as well.
Preseason was mixed. The Wizards beat the Knicks and the Pistons and averaged 112.5 points in their wins, then lost 107-106 at New Orleans with 23 turnovers. Young went 1-for-11 that night with five turnovers, and Davis scored 14 in 27 minutes.
George was sharper, 14 points with three of five from deep. He’s the player most likely to benefit from Dybantsa and Davis drawing attention inside.
Vukcevic won’t play and Watkins is out for the season. No other absences are reported for the home side.
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Milwaukee Bucks: Herro scored 25 in 24 minutes, but three preseason defeats under 100 
The Bucks went 2-3 in preseason and scored under 100 points in all three defeats. Their last warm-up was a 128-127 overtime win over Indiana, with Herro scoring 25 on 10-of-16 shooting in 24 minutes.
Herro is the new focal point, and he can carry an offence for a night. The question is what’s around him. Last season’s Bucks ranked 24th in offensive efficiency and allowed 116.8 points per game, and Bobby Portis has since left.
Turner is the main rim protector. Ware played in that Indiana win too, 13 points but a minus-13 in his minutes, and about half of Milwaukee’s shots that night were threes.
Burries had 14 points and seven rebounds against the Pacers. Ament, the other rookie, sat out the final preseason game with an ankle problem and is questionable for Wednesday.
The projected lineup is Rollins, Herro, Jaquez Jr., Kuzma and Turner. Milwaukee won 13 road games last season, which is the context for any argument that they can win in Washington.
Probable lineup Washington Wizards: Trae Young, Kyshawn George, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr
Probable lineup Milwaukee Bucks: Ryan Rollins, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner
Free NBA Prediction: Washington Wizards vs Milwaukee Bucks
Our prediction: Washington Wizards to win (1.48)
I’d back Washington on the moneyline. They’ve added a No. 1 pick, Davis, Young and Ayton to a home crowd that’s had very little to cheer, and they’re facing a Bucks side that lost its best player, its coach and Portis in the same summer.
Milwaukee’s preseason offence was the giveaway: three games under 100 points, and the one good night came in overtime against Indiana. Herro can score 25 in 24 minutes, but a 13-win road team from last season needs more than one scorer.
The concern is Washington’s defence, which allowed 125 a game last season, and Young’s 1-for-11 in New Orleans. Even so, the talent gap has flipped since last October, and at 1.48 the home side is the pick.
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