Blake Krass breaks down his prediction and pick for Thursday’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Milwaukee Bucks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Paycom Center.

The Thunder are 13.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 214.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for this Thunder vs. Bucks game.

Thunder vs. Bucks prediction, preview

Thursday night is the last night of NBA action before the All-Star break. The players these two teams will be putting out on the court reflect that as well. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss another game and then be re-evaluated after the All-Star break. The Bucks have a 4-4 record since Antetokounmpo went down with an injury that has kept him out over the last couple of weeks. The Bucks remain in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, continuing to struggle just to try to see any kind of postseason action. A combination of Myles Turner, Kevin Porter Jr. and the newly acquired Cam Thomas are trying to keep Milwaukee alive while Antetokounmpo is out.

The Thunder will also be without some major starpower tonight. Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will also sit out for this game as he deals with a nagging injury. The Thunder have been without Gilgeous-Alexander for four games, and they have a 2-2 record during that stretch. The Thunder could also be without Jalen Williams for this game. Williams has led the Thunder in scoring in three of the four games without Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor. However, he left Wednesday night’s win over the Suns early and did not return. On the second night of a back-to-back before heading into the break, the Thunder might be conservative with Williams and rest him for this game.

Thunder vs. Bucks pick, best bet

So, without potentially the three best players between the two teams, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Williams, it will be a test to see which team’s role players can step up. The Thunder unquestionably have much more depth and talent, even with their top two players out. Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein make for a tough defensive unit. When that five is on the floor, it will be tough for the Giannis-less Bucks to generate any type of offense.

Cam Thomas exploded last time out, but that can’t be a dependable source for Milwaukee to score. Dort, Wallace and Caruso should shut down Thomas and Porter Jr. on the perimeter, while the Thunder bigs dominate the paint. This could be a bit of a sloppy game as both teams are focused on the upcoming weekend off. Ultimately, the Thunder should lock in defensively, even if they struggle to score themselves without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. All of that should lead to the Bucks staying under their team total of 99.5 points.

Best Bet: Milwaukee Bucks u99.5 Points (-112)