The Daily Sweat: Bucks keep pushing for East's No. 1 seed at Brooklyn
The Chicago Bulls were hot early on. The Miami Heat have been consistent all season. The Boston Celtics are pushing hard.
But the Eastern Conference could still end up going through Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Bucks, the defending NBA champions, haven't had the best season. They've had injuries, like most teams, and general malaise that led to some ugly losses. But a win against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night would get them another step closer to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks are 1.5-point underdogs at BetMGM for a showdown against the Nets on Thursday night, a game that has plenty of significance atop the East standings.
Milwaukee is one game behind the Heat, who got a big win at the Celtics on Wednesday night. The Philadelphia 76ers and Celtics are in a virtual tie for the third spot, one game behind the Bucks and two behind the Heat.
The Bucks have a fairly tough remaining schedule, with five of its seven games against teams who have a record above .500. And since they trail they can't afford many more losses, even against a really good Nets team that isn't vying for the top seed due to a crazy regular season.
The Bucks haven't been forgotten this season, with Giannis Antetokounmpo having another MVP-worthy season. But they haven't been at the top of the East standings either. They could steal the top spot in the conference late, and that might be a big factor in a deep East. A win at Brooklyn would be huge.
Here's the first look at the betting slate for Thursday:
What else is going on in the NBA?
Bucks-Nets is the first game of the TNT doubleheader, and the second game unfortunately features the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are compelling only because of how bad they've been, as they try to just get into the play-in tournament for the playoffs. They're a half-game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the 10th spot (the No. 7 through No. 10 teams go to the play-in tournament).
The Lakers try to get a win at the Utah Jazz on Thursday night and that's unlikely. The Jazz are 12.5-point favorites.
Another game worth keeping an eye on is the Los Angeles Clippers, who overcame a 25-point deficit against the Jazz earlier this week in Paul George's first game back from injury, at the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have been fading for a while, and they're 3.5-point favorites against the Clippers.
What else is on the schedule?
The PGA is back with the Valero Texas Open, and Yahoo Sportsbook's Pamela Maldonado has your betting preview. There are also nine NBA games and a bunch of spring training games on the schedule.
What's the best bet?
The 76ers are very good but the Detroit Pistons have been one of the best bets anywhere lately. Yes, the Pistons. Detroit has covered the spread in 16 of its last 19 games. The Pistons are 9.5-point underdogs at home on Thursday night and I'll ride with them again.
