Bucks vs. Thunder Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Feb. 12

Two teams with banged-up superstars face off on Thursday night, as the Milwaukee Bucks hit the road to play the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Milwaukee won’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) in this game, and it’s set as a sizable underdog against the Western Conference-leading Thunder. However, the Bucks did upset the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

On the Thunder side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) is out through the All-Star break, and OKC is coming off a blowout win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Jalen Williams (hamstring) has played in the last two games for OKC, but he may sit out on the second night of a back-to-back.

While the Thunder are favored in this game, they are just 1-7 against the spread on the second night of back-to-backs this season – the worst mark in the NBA.

Can they turn that trend around against a Milwaukee team that is currently on the outside looking in of the play-in race in the East?

Here’s a look at the latest odds, my favorite prop bet and a prediction for Thursday’s first-half finale.

Bucks vs. Thunder Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Bucks +13.5 (-115)
Thunder -13.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Bucks: +490
Thunder: -675

Total

213.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Bucks vs. Thunder How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Feb. 12
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Paycom Center
How to Watch (TV): Prime Video
Bucks record: 22-30
Thunder record: 42-13

Bucks vs. Thunder Injury Reports

Bucks Injury Report

Not submitted yet

Thunder Injury Report

Not submitted yet

Bucks vs. Thunder Best NBA Prop Bets

Thunder Best NBA Prop Bet

Cason Wallace OVER 12.5 Points (-116)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m targeting Cason Wallace to step up on offense with SGA, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell all banged up:

SGA is out for this game, and the Thunder could be without Jalen Williams (hamstring) as well after he aggravated the injury on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns.

That should lead to a bigger role for guard Cason Wallace, who attempted 16 shots in back-to-back games with both players out earlier this month. Wallace finished with 13 and 23 points in those games.

Since the start of February, the former first-round pick is averaging 14.0 points on 11.5 shots per game, and his role should continue to expand if the Thunder are down all three of SGA, Ajay Mitchell and Williams on Thursday.

Wallace has played mainly an off-ball role during his time in OKC, but he's averaging 11.6 points, 4.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds in five games with SGA out of the lineup this season.

With the Thunder set to be short-handed against a shaky Bucks defense (22nd in defensive rating), I think Wallace is a great prop target.

Bucks vs. Thunder Prediction and Pick

While I don’t think the Bucks are going to pull off an upset on Thursday, I do think they’re a little undervalued in this matchup.

The Thunder are likely down their three best perimeter scores (Williams, SGA and Mitchell), and they could look to rest more players on the second night of a back-to-back.

OKC is just 1-7 against the spread in that spot this season, and now it’ll gave a makeshift squad before the All-Star break?

This could be a major letdown spot for the Thunder, and the Bucks have started to play better as of late, winning four of their last six games with Giannis Antetokounmpo out.

Milwaukee is also 4-3 against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back and may push to win this game since it’s just a couple of games out of the play-in tournament in the East.

OKC likely will win at home, but the Thunder’s backups are getting a few too many points on Thursday.

Pick: Bucks +13.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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