Two of the NBA's leading MVP contenders will square off in Houston on Wednesday when Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (28-11) visit James Harden and the Rockets (23-16) as small road favorites at sportsbooks.

Reigning MVP Harden has jumped back into the role of favorite recently with his hot play, while Antetokounmpo has led the Bucks to one of the top records in the Eastern Conference this season.

NBA point spread: This game opened as a pick'em; the total is at 226, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 120.6-111.9, Bucks (NBA picks on every game)

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Why the Bucks can cover the spread

Antetokounmpo totaled a game-high 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 114-102 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday, Milwaukee's sixth victory in seven games.

The Bucks covered the spread as five-point home favorites and have done so in each of their last seven wins, with all of them decided by double digits.

The only thing Milwaukee really needs to improve at this point of the season is becoming a better road team, going 9-7 straight up so far.

Why the Rockets can cover the spread

Houston is one of the better home teams in the league at 14-5 SU and 12-6-1 against the spread, and it enters this matchup riding a 10-game winning streak (9-0-1 ATS) at the Toyota Center.

The Rockets are coming off a 125-113 victory against the Denver Nuggets as one-point home favorites on Monday, knocking off the Western Conference's best team to date.

Harden (32 points) and Clint Capela (career-high 31) led the charge versus the Nuggets while PJ Tucker and Gerald Green each added 21.

Smart betting pick

The Bucks have dropped three of the past four meetings in the series but have managed to cover the spread in two of the last three, including the most recent game at Houston.

However, that was the lone matchup between the teams during that stretch that was decided by fewer than 11 points, with the Rockets winning 115-111 but falling short of covering as 10.5-point favorites on December 16, 2017.

This time around, you can essentially pick the winner and have a great chance to cover at sports betting sites as well. Keeping that in mind, look for Houston to extend its home winning streak to 11 games.

NBA betting trends

The total has gone under in 12 of Milwaukee's last 17 games.

Milwaukee is 7-13-1 ATS in its last 21 games on the road.

Houston is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games.

All NBA odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.