Game: Atlanta Hawks @ Milwaukee Bucks
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Odds: Hawks +5.5, Bucks -5.5
Total: 238.5
The Milwaukee Bucks roll into their home Fiserv Forum tonight looking to keep a five-game winning streak intact. The Bucks pounded Oklahoma City last night 142-115 as Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 39 points for the winners. Milwaukee’s offense has been nearly unstoppable during their winning streak. The Bucks have wins over Miami, Chicago, and Phoenix. All three teams are among the best in the NBA and Milwaukee has averaged 128.4 points per game over that five-game streak.
The Bucks are now third in the league in scoring, averaging 114 points per game. Antetokounmpo is the team’s leading scorer (29.4 ppg). Milwaukee’s depth is outstanding and was on display against the Thunder last night. Khris Middleton (20.2 ppg) added 25 points against OKC and five other Bucks scored in double figures. Milwaukee has scored at or over its season average in eight straight games now.
Atlanta is no slouch either. The Hawks rank eighth in scoring, averaging 112.5 points per game. They had won two straight but lost unexpectedly to Detroit on Monday night. Leading scorer Trae Young was held to just 14 points though he did have 12 assists as the Hawks lost in overtime. Atlanta is tied for ninth place in the Eastern Conference and sits just one game behind eighth-place Brooklyn.
The Bucks have been lighting up scoreboards recently thanks to some nifty shooting from the perimeter. Milwaukee is shooting over 43 percent from behind the three-point arc and is averaging over 15 made threes in their last five games. Last night, the Bucks hit 20 from behind the three-point line. Milwaukee is currently fourth (36.6 percent) in three-point shooting percentage.
Atlanta ranks just 25th in the league in opponent three-point field goal percentage. The Hawks also rank 23rd in opponent three-pointers made per game. Atlanta gives up an average of 13 three-pointers per game. The Hawks will have to find some way to limit the Bucks from three-point range. Otherwise, the likelihood of success is minimal. The Hawks have actually won both games between the two teams this season. Both games were in Atlanta and the Hawks covered the spread in each game.
While the Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games, the Hawks are just 2-4 ATS in their last six. Atlanta is also just 1-7 ATS in its last eight games on the road. The Hawks are 1-9 SU in the last 10 trips to Milwaukee and 6-14 SU in the last 20 against the Bucks overall.
With its offense in high gear, the Bucks have seen the total go Over in 11 of their last 13 games and six of their last seven at home. Atlanta trends Over as well with two of their last three games going Over the posted total. For the season, the O/U in Hawks games is 35-29. The Over is 8-2 in Atlanta’s last ten games against an opponent from the Central Division.