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The Milwaukee Bucks are beginning a four-game road trip on Sunday as they first visit State Farm Arena to face the Atlanta Hawks. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Bucks-Hawks prediction and pick.
The Bucks and Hawks are both coming off fresh double-digit wins against the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat respectively. The Bucks are currently sitting in the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 37-22 while the Hawks are sitting in the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 33-27.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Bucks-Hawks odds.
NBA Odds: Bucks-Hawks Odds
Milwaukee Bucks -6.5 (-109)
Atlanta Hawks +6.5 (-111)
Over 226.5 Points (-110)
Under 226.5 Points(-110)
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
Injury Report: P.J. Tucker (questionable), Bryn Forbes (questionable), and Rodions Kurucs (questionable).
Coach Mike Budenholzer’s team is ranked with the 4th best offensive rating and 8th best defensive rating in the league.
Offensively this team is being led by their Big Three of Giannis Antetokoumpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton. These three players for the Bucks are averaging a combined 65.5 points, 21.7 rebounds, and 17.1 assists per game while all shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.
This Big Three has been very productive for Coach Budenholzer but the issue for the Bucks has been with the depth of their roster. The recent additions of Jeff Teague and P.J. Tucker should help with this as they not only surround the stars on this team with solid spot-up three-point shooting but also great individual defensive.
In addition, the Bucks have both Giannis and Brook Lopez anchoring the paint on the defensive end of the floor and they are averaging 1.3 and 1.4 blocks per game respectively. This Milwaukee team also has very great individual defenders in Holiday and Middleton in their backcourt.
To cover the spread the Bucks will need to play great team defense as the Hawks are a very well-balanced and deep team. Another key for Coach Budenholzer's squad will be to run the offense through Giannis who will be a very tough defensive coverage for this Atlanta team especially without their starting center, Clint Capela.
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
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Injury Report: Cam Reddish (out), Trae Young (out), De'Andre Hunter (out), Tony Snell (out), and Clint Capela (questionable).
Coach Nate McMillan has had to change up his rotation as the team has been dealing will a lot of injuries lately. The most notable injury for the Hawks has been to their talented point guard, Young, who has been leading the team with 25.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 9.6 assists per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field.
As a team, the Hawks currently hold the 8th best offense which will take a hit on Sunday as the team may be without many of their main rotation players and are also playing a great defensive team in the Bucks. That'll mean Coach McMillan will need to find some players off the bench to try and fill the offensive void left behind due to injuries.
Fortunately, this Atlanta team is very well-balanced and deep talent-wise with players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, Danilo Gallinari, and their recent addition in Lou Williams. All these players are currently averaging double-digit points for the Hawks.
For the Hawks to cover the spread on Sunday, the team will need to play more defense than they normally play as they take on the 4th best offensive team in the association and the two-time MVP, Giannis.
Final Bucks-Hawks Prediction & Pick
Not only are the Bucks a better offensive and defensive team than the Hawks, but the Hawks are also entering this contest with many players out due to injury, including their star Trae Young. Despite the depth of the Hawks, it is unlikely they will be able to overcome the big three for the Bucks on Sunday. That said, the Bucks should pick up their third straight win and first win on this road trip.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR BUCKS-HAWKS: MIL 122, ATL 102 (MIL -6.5)
