NBA Prop Bets: New Orleans Pelicans vs Milwaukee Bucks (February 20, 2026)

The Milwaukee Bucks (23-30) face the New Orleans Pelicans (15-41) at Smoothie King Center. Let's take a look at the NBA Prop Bets for Friday's matchup. The Pelicans opened as 3.5-point favorites but the spread has since moved to 4.5, leaving the Pelicans at -180 and Bucks at +150. The total points line is set at 223.5, with OVER at -108 and UNDER at -112, meaning the implied expected score for the game is 114-110 New Orleans.

• The Pelicans (-105) have a 28-26-2 ATS record this season, while the Bucks (-115) hold a record of 24-29-0.
• The Pelicans have a 28-28-0 O/U record this season (meaning 28 games have gone over the total points line and 28 have gone under). The Bucks have a 21-32-0 O/U record.

Scoring Insights

• The Pelicans are averaging 114.6 points per game this season (20th in the league). Comparatively, the Bucks are averaging 111.8 (27th).
• Defensively, the Pelicans are giving up a whopping 120.4 points per game this season (26th in the league), while the Bucks are giving up an average of 115.2 points (15th).

Game Style

What do the stats tell us about the style of basketball these teams are playing this season?

Pace

• The Pelicans currently rank 13th for pace this season, recording 100.0 possessions per game. Alternatively, the Bucks sit 24th on that scale with 97.7 possessions per contest.

Field Goal Split

• Looking at field goal splits, 35.6% of the Pelicans' field goal attempts come from three point range (26th in the league), leaving 64.4% from two. Meanwhile, the Bucks' opponents are taking 44.5% of their attempts from three (26th) and 55.5% from two.
• Comparatively, Milwaukee takes 43.7% of shots from three (13th), leaving 56.3% from two, while New Orleans' opponents are attempting 45.1% from three (29th) and 54.9% from two.

Beyond the Arc

• In terms of made three-pointers, the Pelicans are shooting an underwhelming 34.5% from deep in 2025/26 (25th in the NBA), compared to the Bucks who are making 39.2% of their attempts (2nd).
• On the opposite end, New Orleans is holding opponents to 35.4% of their three-point attempts (10th), while Milwaukee's opponents are doing things easier, hitting 36.8% of their shots (25th).

Ball Protection

• The Pelicans are committing just 14.1 turnovers per game this season, ranking 9th in the league. As such, the Bucks aren't likely to pressurise their opponents in this area given they're forcing only 13.2 turnovers per contest (27th).
• Flipping that script, New Orleans is forcing 14.7 turnovers (14th), while Milwaukee is committing 14.5 (15th).

Crashing the Boards

• New Orleans is pulling down 43.6 rebounds per game this season (16th in the league), including 12.3 offensive boards (8th). Conversely, Milwaukee's opponents are averaging 44.6 rebounds (17th), 11.0 of which have come on the offensive end (8th).
• Meanwhile, the Bucks are averaging 41.2 rebounds (27th) and 8.7 offensive rebounds (30th), while the Pelicans are allowing 46.0 and 12.6, ranking 25th and 29th.

First Quarter Winner

New Orleans is -148 to win the first quarter, while Milwaukee is +124. Here are their first quarter records in 2025/26.

	Total	Home	Road	Favorite	Underdog	Last 10
New Orleans	23-31-2	12-17-0	11-14-2	5-3-0	18-28-2	5-4-1
Milwaukee	22-28-3	9-14-1	13-14-2	9-11-1	13-17-2	2-6-2

First Half Winner

New Orleans is -162 to win the first half and Milwaukee is +136. Here are their first half records in 2025/26.

	Total	Home	Road	Favorite	Underdog
New Orleans	21-34-1	12-16-1	9-18-0	5-3-0	16-31-1	4-6-0
Milwaukee	21-32-0	9-15-0	12-17-0	8-13-0	13-19-0	5-5-0

HT/FT

New Orleans is -120 to complete the HT/FT double. Conversely, Milwaukee is +210.

• The Pelicans have completed the HT/FT double in 16.1% of games this season, while the Bucks have completed the HT/FT double in 26.4% of games.

To Go To Overtime

Friday's matchup is +1200 to go to overtime.

• The Pelicans have played in five games that went to overtime this season, while the Bucks have appeared in three.

Both Teams 110+

• Both teams have scored 110+ points in 31 of New Orleans' 56 games this season. Meanwhile, 23 of Milwaukee's 53 games have seen both squads reach that number.

Last Time They Met

Milwaukee recorded a 141-137 overtime victory over New Orleans at Fiserv Forum when these teams last met on February 4. Despite being on the losing side, Trey Murphy III dominated both ends on that day, finishing with 44 points and three steals. The Bucks have now won three straight against the Pelicans.