The Atlanta Hawks take the court at Fiserv Forum Friday with a 1-0 Eastern Conference Finals lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off is scheduled for shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Hawks-Bucks odds and lines, with NBA picks and predictions.
The Hawks are coming off an impressive outing in the first game of the series. After beating the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games, Atlanta came out aggressive with PG Trae Young leading the way in Game 1. He finished with 48 points, one less than Bucks PF Giannis Antetokounmpo and SF Khris Middleton combined.
The Bucks were stunned at home, a place where they played well all season. Milwaukee had a chance late and got a clean 3-point look for Middleton but lost a heartbreaker.
Hawks at Bucks: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Hawks +260 (bet $100 to win $260) | Bucks -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Hawks +8 (-110) | Bucks -8 (-110)
- Over/Under: 226.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Hawks at Bucks: Key injuries
Hawks
- SG Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee) questionable
-
SF De’Andre Hunter (knee) out
Bucks
-
SG Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) out
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Hawks at Bucks: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Bucks 112, Hawks 106
Money line (ML)
PASS on the money line and it should be easy to see why. The Bucks will probably come out on top. After all, they were 26-10 at home in the regular season. They were 5-0 at home in the playoffs until their Game 1 loss.
Milwaukee has the weapons to adjust and should be able to find a rotation that limits the rising superstar.
If there’s a money line play, it’s still Atlanta at +260, but given the situation the Bucks will be put in, they should come out on top. I wouldn’t bet against the Greek Freak .
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Against the spread (ATS)
“LEAN” to the HAWKS +8 (-110) because they’ve been a covering machine in the playoffs. While I don’t expect to see an Atlanta victory, laying almost double-digit points against a team that won Game 1 is just too much.
Atlanta is 9-4 ATS in the playoffs. The Bucks, who have been given some outrageous numbers throughout the playoffs, are just 6-6 ATS.
After getting a combined 67 points from PG Jrue Holiday and Antetokounmpo in Game 1, the Bucks still weren’t able to get the job done. Expecting both Young and Holiday to regress a bit, the Hawks should cover with Bogdanovic playing a bigger factor, if active.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET the UNDER 226.5 (-110) as this is the best bargain Friday. The Hawks are 4-9 while the Bucks are 4-7-1 against the projected total in the playoffs.
Holiday’s 33 points in Game 1 were by far his most of the playoffs, having previously not eclipsed 21 points this postseason. Hawks PF John Collins also tied his playoff high with 23 points in Game 1.
While the Hawks and Bucks combined for 229 points in Game 1, more defense is in store. With the chance of a Bucks blowout win, there’s no denying that could help the Under. Regression to the mean is in store, and that should help the Under hit.
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