The Atlanta Hawks will travel to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in a Monday night NBA matchup at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Hawks-Bucks prediction and pick, laid out below.
Atlanta has gone 8-5 to open the season, third place in the Eastern Conference, splitting a home and home series with Philadelphia in their last two games. Head coach Nate McMillan has taken the club to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons as the head coach.
Milwaukee is the top team in the Eastern Conference with a 10-2 record, losing two of their last three after opening the season on a nine game winning streak. Head coach Mike Budenholzer is in his fifth season as the head coach of Milwaukee, winning the championship in the 2020-21 season.
Here are the Hawks-Bucks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Hawks-Bucks Odds
Atlanta Hawks: +4 (-110)
Milwaukee Bucks: -4 (-110)
Over: 225.5 (-110)
Under: 225.5 (-110)
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
Atlanta's offense runs through Trae Young, one of the most exciting young players in the league. Young leads the team with 27.4 points and 9.3 assists per game. Young has only shot 37.9 percent from the field, which is a career low. If that number gets closer to his career median, Young's scoring output will go up. Look out opponents. Dejounte Murray has been a great addition for this club, ranking second with 21.7 points and 8.0 assists per game. Murray has proven the perfect sidekick to Young in the Atlanta backcourt. Clint Capela has been a dominant force on the boards, leading the team with 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, while putting up 10.8 points per game. De'Andre Hunter is averaging 15.0 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting from the field. John Collins has averaged 12.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the team.
Atlanta ranks tenth in the league with 115.2 points scored per game. However, Milwaukee's defense has stifled opponents, ranking second in opponent scoring. The Hawks rank fourth in the league with 46.1 rebounds per game. Milwaukee is allowing 45.0 rebounds per game, which ranks 22nd in the league.
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
One name separates Milwaukee from most teams in the league, and that is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo leads the team with 31.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Antetokounmpo missed Friday's game with a knee injury, but could be back for this one. Jrue Holiday leads the team with 7.9 assists and ranks second with 19.6 points per game. Bobby Portis is the second Buck averaging a double-double, with 13.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Fellow big man Brook Lopez has put up 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Over a full season, Lopez's 15.8 points would be his highest scoring average since 2016-17 when he averaged 20.5 points in his last season with Brooklyn.
Milwaukee ranks 16th in the league with 111.9 points per game. Thanks to the strength of the defense, which ranks second by allowing 105.8 points per game, the offense is not counted on to score at will. Milwaukee has blocked 6.7 shots per game, which ranks second in the league. Milwaukee is also pulling down the most rebounds, averaging 50.8 per game. Holiday is sidelined here but the return of Giannis should play a big part.
Final Hawks-Bucks Prediction & Pick
Milwaukee is clearly better, and their strong defense will keep this score under the total. Atlanta will have to get a huge performance from Young to have a chance.
Final Hawks-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Milwaukee -4 (-110), under 225.5 (-110)
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