The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the surging and red-hot Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night inside Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. The Bucks are trying to catch the Boston Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference. 

Bookmaker has installed the Bucks as a solid 8.5-point favorite, with both teams dealing with a banged-up roster. 

The Bucks sit 20 games over .500 on the season, and they are trying to fend off the Cleveland Cavaliers for the race to the top spot in the Central Division. Milwaukee also hopes the Celtics slip up down the stretch so they can try to overtake them and claim the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

On offense, the Bucks game plan is simple, and they get the ball into the hands of future HOF'er Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is having a brilliant season but might not be able to go on Wednesday night. He was dealing with a hamstring issue and was listed as probable for Tuesday's game. 

He is averaging 30 points per game, along with 11 boards, and he has once again shown that he can take over games at any moment. Point guard Damian Lillard has also provided some great production, averaging 24 points per game, and has taken a ton of pressure off the big man. 

The Lakers have won three straight games overall, and they are an aging team hoping to make one last run at a title. They have been very inconsistent this season and have also dealt with injuries to some key players. They still rely on LeBron James, who has not only logged a ton of minutes this season but has also shown signs of tiring here and there. 

He still averages close to 26 points a game while logging 36 minutes a night. The question heading into the season was how many minutes they would allow James to play on a nightly basis and whether he could last an entire season. When he is off, the Lakers need to get the ball into the hands of power forward Anthony Davis, who has been banged up this season. 

He is listed as probable for Tuesday night's affair due to an issue with his Achilles. If he can not go, the Lakers would lose a major presence in the paint and a rim protector, not to mention his 24 points per contest. The Lakers connect on close to 56% from the field, and they are a decent shooting team from beyond the arc. 

The Bucks are 4-1 in their last five games and 4-1 in their previous five games against the spread too. They are a rough 15-20 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games and 20 out of their last 36 at home. The Lakers are 3-2 in their previous five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number, and they have a solid mark of 13-19 in their road games against the spread.