Phoenix Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks

Last month injuries to star guard Damian Lillard forced Milwaukee Bucks offense to suffer a major decline.

For the last six games the Milwaukee Bucks played without Lillard, they went 3-3 straight up and lost both his average of 25 points and seven assists. The Milwaukee Bucks have received quality playmaking from Kyle Kuzma throughout the absence of Damian Lillard.

The 6-foot-9 small forward delivers at least three assists in four out of his six games as Lillard sat out (creating 3.17 assists in this time). In his six Bucks games Kuzma now receives increased offensive opportunities which leads to a average of 5.8 potential assists per game.

His single assist against Atlanta did not stop him from distributing four assists in each of two games and five assists in another — including one against the Suns on March 24 (108-106 defeat).

Kristaps Porzingis contemplates a two-star absence in his game against Phoenix on Tuesday as Durant sits out with Bradley Beal potentially joining him on the sidelines. During their current three-game losing streak Phoenix has demonstrated one of the worst defensive performances in professional basketball which extends their league average backsliding defense.

Throughout three recent matches Phoenix has endured scoring averages of 148 points, 132 points and 128 points from opposing teams who maintain an average of 33.7 assists per game.

The predictive models show Kuzma exceeding his 2.5 assist O/U threshold while several other projections recognize his improved passing because of the ongoing Lillard injury situation and anticipate him reaching 3.5 and 4.0 assists against Phoenix tonight.

According to my calculations the assist prop for Kuzma is worth Over 2.5 at -165 but my projection sets the line at 3.25 while Kuzma executes 3.25 assists. The bettor can locate Over 2.5 assists at +135 odds through various sportsbooks.

The Phoenix Suns have lost four straight away on the road. Their last game was a 148-109 loss to the Houston Rockets at Footprint Center. Kevin Durant scored eleven points and Monte Morris scored ten, while Devin Booker scored twenty-eight.

The past four games the Milwaukee Bucks have played have ended in defeat. The Atlanta Hawks defeated them 145-124 in a recent home game at Fiserv Forum. Kyle Kuzma scored 25 points, Kevin Porter Jr. scored 28, and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points.

In their most recent meeting, the Suns had the advantage. They defeated the Bucks 108-106 at Footprint Center. The Bucks have won seven of the last ten meetings between the two teams.